Premier Oil said yesterday it had discovered oil at its Bonneville exploration well in the central North Sea.
The find is the seventh discovery at the company’s Catcher field area, 106 miles south-east of Aberdeen. Operator Premier, which holds a 50% interest in Catcher, said oil in place at the Bonneville reservoir was around 30million barrels. Drilling was completed by the WilPhoenix rig, which will now move west of Shetland to begin development drilling at Premier’s Solan project.
Simon Lockett, chief executive of Premier, said: “We are delighted with the strong start to our 2013 exploration drilling programme. The Bonneville discoveries will be tied back to our important Catcher area development, which is targeted for project sanction by year-end.”
Fellow UK independent Cairn Energy holds a 30% stake in the field area, while German oil and gas firm Wintershall has the remaining 20%.
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