Chevron North Sea wins approval for Captain field EOR project

Chevron North Sea (CNSL) has received an approval from the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) for the field development plan (FDP) of an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project at the Captain field in Block 13/22a in the UK Central North Sea.

The objective of the EOR project is to unlock millions of additional oil barrels and maximise economic recovery from the field.

Holding an 85% stake, field operator CNSL will use polymer injection technology for the Captain EOR project.

According to the company, the production approval for the first stage of the EOR project advances the technology.

Chevron Upstream Europe managing director Greta Lydecker said: “Operational approval of the Captain EOR project progresses the application of a technology that has demonstrated an improved recovery rate, which can now be applied to other fields and help extend the life of assets.

“Advanced EOR technology in the North Sea supports the UK Government’s strategy of Maximising Economic Recovery (MER UK) of its offshore energy resource.”

Located 90 miles north-east of Aberdeen, Scotland, in the Outer Moray Firth, the Captain field was discovered in 1977. First production was achieved in 1997.

The field comprises a wellhead protector platform (WPP) and bridge-linked platform (BLP) connected to a floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO), as well as two subsea manifolds tied back and connected to the platforms by a suite of pipelines.

Last year, the daily production from the field averaged 28,600 barrels of liquids and 5.6 million cubic feet of natural gas.

UK-based exploration and production firm Dana Petroleum (E&P) owns a 15% interest in the field.

OGA operations director Gunther Newcombe said: “Chevron’s investment in EOR technology, the first of this kind to be deployed in the North Sea is expected to unlock millions of extra barrels of oil, adding several years to the life of this mature asset, demonstrating strong progress towards Vision 2035.”

Source: Offshore-Technology