Planning under way for North Sea Liberator oil project

i3 Energy says that all site survey and pipeline route sampling operations have been completed at its Liberator field offshore north-east Scotland.

The MV Poseidon conducted site surveys across two areas identified as development drilling centres for future production operations.

This involved compiling seismic, sonar, soil strengths and environmental sample data to assess drilling hazards and assist construction activities both on the field and the associated in-field pipeline route.

Some of the coverage was over the nearby Blake field production manifold, under an agreement with Blake’s operator Repsol Sinopec Resources UK and its partner Idemitsu UK.

i3 will use the results to prepare the environmental statement for submitting the final field development plan for approval by the UK’s Oil & Gas Authority, and for the designing of two development wells and associated tie-ins.

Dana Petroleum discovered Liberator on licence P.1987, block 13/23d, in November 2013 with well 13/23d-8, two kilometres (1.2 miles) from Blake’s producing drill centre.

The well intersected 24 feet (7.3 metres) of net pay at the top of a 316-foot (96-metre) thick Lower Cretaceous Captain Sands reservoir with permeability greater than 2 Darcy’s.

Logging confirmed 30.3° API oil, with similar fluid properties to Blake’s.

John Woods, i3’s chief development officer, said: “i3 has worked closely with our well engineering contractor, Petrofac, to secure this element of the field development activity to ensure readiness for the next operational stage of the project. We remain on track for drilling operations and the subsea tie-in activities in 2018.”