BP drills North Uist oil probe

BP has drilled its first deepwater probe well at the North Uist field off the Shetland Isles. The well, drilled in water approximately 1290 m deep and located 125 northwest of the Shetlands Isles, is targeting a potential 500 million bbls of hydrocarbons.

The drilling operation, being conducted by the drillship Stena Carron is the first conducted by BP off the coast of the UK since the Macondo oil blowout in 2010.

The North Uist prospect is operated by BP, which has a 47.5% stake in the venture; Nexen Petroleum has a 35% stake, CIECO Exploration & Production and Faroe Petroleum both hold a 6.25% stake, whilst Idemitsu has a 5% stake.

The potential importance of the North Uist field was highlighted by, Graham Stewart, CEO of Faroe Petroleum, “The North Uist prospect offers significant resource potential and is in close proximity to a number of important discoveries on the Atlantic Margin Corona Ridge, including Rosebank and Cambo.”

Concerns remain over the environmental impact of exploration and drilling operations in the waters around the Shetland Islands. One of the most vocal groups concerned about BP’s ability to conduct drilling operations safely is Greenpeace, which referred to the SuperMajor as, “one of the most accident-prone oil-companies in the world.”

According to the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change, a full and extensive examination of BP’s proposal for operations in the area, including emergency response plans, has uncovered no issues warranting objection to the project.

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/26032012/bp_drills_north_uist_oil_probe/