Neptune Energy to sink new well at Adorf gas field

Neptune Energy said April 15 it had agreed a contract with services provider KCA Deutag to spud the Z17 development well in northwest Germany.

The onshore hole will support output at the Adorf carboniferous gas field in the German municipality of Hoogstede. KCA will start the well's development in June.

KCA Deutag's drilling rig will deploy motors powered by electricity rather than diesel to reduce CO₂ emissions by around 1,000 metric tons. The rig was selected to promote Neptune's carbon reduction goals. The company is aiming to store more carbon than its internal operations produce by 2030.

News of the drilling contract came weeks after Neptune reported a hydrocarbon discovery in the Norwegian North Sea on March 21. The Hamlet well encountered hydrocarbons 5 km west of Floro, within one of Neptune's core operating areas.

Neptune has a 100% stake in Adorf, which currently yields around 4,500 barrels of oil equivalent/day. The field came on stream in 2020 and was expanded with the launch of a second production well, Adorf Z16, in January. Z16 reached a final depth of 5,378 m in the carboniferous formation and achieved initial flow rates of up to 2,800 boe/d.

Neptune Energy's managing director, Andreas Scheck, said the field was a key part of its portfolio.  "We have already increased production significantly and see a great deal of further potential from the field," he said. "The use of electrical motors underlines Neptune's commitment to continue to reduce emissions from our operations."