Chevron Gets Go-ahead for new North Sea drilling
Chevron North Sea has been given consent to drill the deepwater Cambo-5 well, west of the Shetland Isles. Chevron is to drill the well as substitute operator on behalf of the block licence operator, Hess, and the Cambo co-venturers.
Britain's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has subjected Chevron’s applications, including the environmental impact assessment and emergency response plan, to detailed and extensive scrutiny, and the Health and Safety Executive has undertaken a thorough examination of the well design and drilling plan, with no objections to the proposals. The Cambo-5 well, in Block 204/5a, is 136 kms west of the Shetland Isles in a water depth of approx. 1,090 metres.
Energy Minister, John Hayes, said: 'The north and west of Shetland are new frontiers for development in a resurgent UK oil and gas industry. Production from our waters provides nearly half our energy needs, supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and provides billions in revenue so it is vital we thoroughly appraise all new possible resources. History has taught us there is no cheap short cut for safety and environmental protection in any oil and gas activity. We have always sought to learn from our experiences and lessons from others. As a result the UK has one of the most robust and best regarded oil and gas regimes in the world. Chevron’s plans and their emergency response measures have been thoroughly scrutinised by my Department to make certain their conduct is of the very highest standard."
DECC has inspected the drillship and, as part of the application review process, met with Chevron to discuss aspects of the proposed drilling operations, including the emergency response procedures that are in place for the proposed offshore operations. As part of the consultation for this consent, the Department of Energy and Climate Change considered comments from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Marine Scotland (MS), the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD), in addition to confirming that the HSE was content with the proposed operations.