Extending the life of Southern North Sea fields

Since entering the Southern North Sea in 2000 and assuming operatorship of the Hewett/Bacton complex three years later, Tullow has been actively pursuing ways in which to prolong the life of these and other assets in our portfolio. Our strategy is threefold:

Continually improve operational efficiency

2007 saw a move towards investment in remote operations of the Hewett platforms. Through de-manning of the offshore installations, centralised control systems and optimised logistics we will not only realise significant cost savings in future years but also reduce the exposure of our personnel working offshore.

Targeted incremental investment

Our technical teams have developed a deep knowledge of the subsurface environment. With the infrastructure approaching the end of its productive life, Tullow has identified a number of infill and near field investment opportunities. The resulting drilling and development campaign commenced in the third quarter of 2007 and is expected to deliver significant value both in terms of new gas production and an extension to the economic life of the area.

Explore future opportunities ‘Beyond Gas’

As the focus sharpens on ways of reducing and mitigating the impact of human activity on the climate, Tullow has been working with government, industry and NGOs to assess opportunities to contribute to the reduction of Carbon Dioxide emissions. The re-use of the Hewett main reservoir as a permanent, safe store for carbon dioxide is being studied in detail and could provide a significant contribution to the UK’s climate change targets. The Hewett/Bacton infrastructure is strategically well placed, consequently we have also focused activity on developing commercial gas storage opportunities utilising these assets.

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