German energy firm RWE today said it had achieved first gas from its southern North Sea Clipper South development.
The single platform development, in which Aberdeen oil and gas explorer Fairfield Energy has a 25% stake, is 62 miles east of the Lincolnshire coast and is planned to be normally unmanned.
Fairfield bought the licence containing Clipper South in 2008 and worked up a development plan before farming down 50% to RWE Dea, the oil and gas arm of RWE, and then a further 25% to Bayerngas.
Development involved use of multi-fracture technology, which is becoming more commonly used in the southern North Sea, said Ralf to Baben, chief operating officer of RWE Dea.
“Multiple fracture technology is becoming more widespread in its use offshore in the UK Southern North Sea, but it is still a relatively new technology,” he said.
The field is estimated to have 29million barrels of oil equivalent recoverable resources.
The Clipper South field is being developed by drilling up to five horizontal multi-fractured wells. The first well was drilled by the Ensco 92 rig to a depth of 16,000 ft and was stimulated with eight hydraulic fractures.
Gas from the Clipper South platform is transported about 9.3 miles to the Lincolnshire Offshore Gas Gathering System (LOGGS) and then about 62 miles to the onshore Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal in Lincolnshire, where the gas enters the UK grid.
RWE is also operator on the Breagh development, in which Aberdeen-based Sterling Resources is a partner.