Privately-owned oil exploration firm Caithness Petroleum has set its sights on a new target in the Inner Moray Firth.
Caithness, which started producing from the Lybster field, just off the Caithness coastline from an onshore well earlier this year, is to target the Forse prospect, 5km (3.1miles) out to sea.
The move comes after a nine-month delay on a seismic survey on the licence – which had been with a view to drilling the Burrigill prospect – due to concerns the activity would affect dolphins and porpoise in the area.
However, the delay has now meant a drilling commitment, to both the Department of Energy and Climate Change under its licence agreement and to partner Trap Oil, was broken, forcing Caithness to issue a force majeure to Trap Oil.
Both parties have now agreed to move ahead with drilling the “much better” Forse. However, Mark Groves-Gidney, chief executive, of Trap Oil, said limited rig availability in the North Sea meant this probably would not happen until the second half of next year.
While close to the Lybster field, the Forse prospect is more like the Brae fields in formation, said Groves-Gidney – a jurassic fan formation.
However, it would not be drilled from onshore, like Lybster, which is closer to the coastline, he said.
Trapoil has 35% carried interest in Caithness’ blocks containing the Knockinnon, Burrigill and Forse prospects.
Trap also gave an update of its current drilling plans. It will partner in Suncor Energy UK’s late September/early October drilling on the Romeo prospect and the Scotney exploration well after that.
It said drilling of the Magnolia prospect, in which it holds 10% interest, operated by Dana, had been delayed until the fourth quarter, delaying the Crazy Horse exploration well, operated by Noreco, 22% held by Trap.
It also said its proposed acquisition of 33.3% in Perenco’s Trent East Terrace licence, on which it would become operator, was still under discussion. The firm recently bought 30% stakes in two adjacent blocks.
A deal to buy an initial 10% interest in the Athena oil field from Dyas had been approved by DECC, it added.