Wintershall expands cross-border exploration in Germany, the Netherlands

Following its successful 13-well drilling campaign last summer, Wintershall Holding GmbH is expanding production in the western part of Germany’s largest existing onshore oil field.

The wells are connected to the Cretaceous Bentheim sandstone, which lies at a depth of 700-900 metres. To date, the operator has invested a total €30 million.

The production expansion at its Emlichheim site is in the County of Bentheim, Lower Saxony. “With a 3D seismic survey, we’re now laying the foundation for developing additional oil reserves on the German-Dutch border,” said Andreas Scheck, head of Wintershall Deutschland.

Reservoir simulations have revealed additional untapped reserves in Emlichheim oil field, and the operator’s seismic survey is set to be completed by the end of February.

The company reported that Emlichheim field in Lower Saxony, which has produced ten million tonnes of crude in the last 70 years, is now benefitting from advanced steam flooding technology.

The operator reported in 2015 that it could produce an additional 500,000 tonnes of crude after applying steam to the Gildehaus formation, which lies just above Bentheim.

Wintershall’s cross-border exploration area encompasses 37 square kilometres on the German and the Dutch side. In addition to the main Emlichheim field, Wintershall suggested that recoverable oil reserves still exist in the Haselaar district where production was carried out in the 1960s.