Ireland's Corrib 'Produced Strongly' in Q1
The Corrib gas field offshore Ireland has “produced strongly, with robust well deliverability and minimal downtime”, Canada’s Vermilion Energy said in its first quarter results on May 6.
Following the field’s start-up on December 30 2015, 1Q 2016 production from Corrib net to Vermilion was 34mn ft3/d (equivalent to 5,650 boe/d). Located 83km off northwest Ireland, Corrib is operated by Royal Dutch Shell (45%); its partners are Statoil (36.5%) and Vermilion (18.5%).
At 100% equity, this means that Corrib production was 183.7mn ft3/d (equivalent to 1.9bn m3/yr).
Vermilion noted that its production increased by 30% year-on-year in 1Q 2016 to 65,389 boe/d. This represented a 7% increase compared to the company's 61,058 boe/d in 4Q 2015, thanks to the new flows from Corrib.
Corrib production remains subject to pressure constraints in the Irish distribution pipeline network, said Vermilion. Once these are lifted, production levels at Corrib are expected to rise to an estimated peak rate of 58mn ft3/d (9,700 boe/d), net to Vermilion.
That would work out at a gross Corrib figure of 313.5mn ft3/d (3.24bn m3/yr) at 100%.
First gas from Corrib late last year occurred roughly 11 years after it was originally planned by Shell, because of protests and planning appeals.
Mark Smedley