French oil and gas company Total has announced “another meaningful” discovery west of Shetland.
The Edradour exploration well is close to the Total-operated Laggan and Tormore fields, currently under development.
The well was said to have found gas and hydrocarbon liquids in a reservoir with good petrophysical properties. Total said yesterday that, once the appraisal phase had been completed, studies would be launched to consider development of the new resources through the Laggan and Tormore facilities.
Patrice de Vivies, senior vice-president for northern Europe with Total Exploration and Production, said: “While definitive testing is still to be completed, Edradour already is another meaningful discovery for us in the west-of-Shetland region.
“It should reinforce our third production hub on the UK continental shelf around the Laggan and Tormore fields, after the success of our existing Alwyn and Elgin/Franklin hubs.”
Total has a 75% operating interest in the Edradour licence, with Dong holding the remaining 25%.
Total (80%) and Dong (20%) are also partners in Laggan/Tormore, which was sanctioned last March.
Total is one of the most active oil and gas operators in the UK, where it continues to invest heavily.
International oil and gas facility service provider Petrofac revealed last October it had been awarded a contract worth more than £500million.
It is to develop a gas-processing plant for Total at Sullom Voe, in Shetland, next to the oil terminal there.
The project will involve hundreds of workers.
Construction work on site is expected to start later this year, with first gas to be processed in the second quarter of 2014. The plant will land and process gas from Laggan and Tormore.
In addition, last summer, Total received approval from the UK and Norwegian governments to develop its Islay gas field in the northern North Sea.
The field spans the waters of both countries.
Islay will be connected to Total’s Alwyn facility, with first gas planned for the second half of this year.
At the end of last year, the French group said that the UK Government had approved the Phase 2 development of its West Franklin field in the Central Graben Area.
West Franklin – the deepest, high-pressure/high-temperature field developed on the UK continental shelf to date – is about 150 miles east of Aberdeen. Production from Phase 2 is expected to start by the end of 2013.
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