Production starts at El Bibane field offshore Tunisia
Posted: 25 March 2008
The three well drilling program has been completed and the production of oil has started from one of the wells at the El Bibane field offshore Tunisia.
The oil and gas group PA Resources owns a 25 per cent working interest in the field.
The production of oil from the El Bibane field offshore Tunisia commenced last week from the well EBB-4 according to the operator Candax Energy.
Oil production rates have so far been variable due to onshore plant commissioning and offshore tie-in delays due to bad weather, both of which have necessitated several shutdowns.
The peak daily production rate thus far is approximately 1,400 barrels of oil per day (of which net 350 bopd to PA Resources). The operator expects the oil production level to rise considerably over the coming weeks as production from EBB-4 is optimised and the EBB-3 well is tied in and brought on stream.
"The production start up at the El Bibane field will bring us a step closer to reaching the Group's production target for 2008. Therefore we are very pleased to see that the three wells have been drilled, the production of oil has started and the re-development project will soon be finalised," said Ulrik Jansson, President and CEO at PA Resources.
The second production well in the El Bibane re-development project, EBB-3, was also completed last week and the West Titania drilling rig's demobilisation has been initiated.
The installation of the EBB-3 platform and pipeline hook-ups with the other wells is ongoing.
The onshore SEEB gas power station is also being commissioned and will be ready to commence power generation operations once gas production from El Bibane has been stabilised in April 2008.
The gas injection well EBB-5 was tested in the beginning of March and flowed gas and condensate to the onshore Central Processing Facility to clean up the well and enable the onshore plant commissioning to be initiated.
The El Bibane field is situated offshore in the south-east parts of Tunisia, 16 kilometres outside the city of Zarzis. The production at the field was shut down in 2006 because of problems with restarting the single producing well after maintenance work.
The re-development project started in 2007 and is now close to finalisation. Three wells have been drilled since 2007.
When the whole re-development project has been finalised the field will produce oil and gas from two production wells. In order to maintain reservoir pressure, gas will be injected in one gas injection well.
All wells are installed on three smaller wellhead platforms offshore. The wells' stream of oil and gas will be transported in pipelines to a separate production and export terminal onshore, were the oil and gas are processed and separated.
The oil is exported and sold to the market. The gas is supplied to a gas power station that produces electrical power. This plant is owned by a separate company and delivers electrical power to the Tunisian state's electrical company STEG.
The licensees in the El Bibane field are the operator Candax Energy with a 75 per cent working interest and PA Resources with a 25 per cent working interest.
Posted by Richard Price, Editor, EnergyME.com
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