Neptune Produces First Gas from Dutch Well

UK independent Neptune Energy has produced first gas from its new L5a-D4 well offshore the Netherlands, it said February 19. Drilled into the deepest producing gas field of the Dutch North Sea, the 5.5-km well demonstrates "the company’s commitment to boosting offshore gas production in the Netherlands," it said.

 L5a-D4 is a high pressure, high temperature well in the L5a-D field, around 100 km north of Den Helder, and tied back to the Neptune-operated L5a-D platform.

Neptune said it was looking for opportunities to grow its business in the Netherlands and to enhance its offshore gas production. "Dutch offshore natural gas remains hugely important for heating Dutch homes. Production of Dutch natural gas also contributes directly and indirectly to the Dutch economy and produces 30% lower CO2 emission than imported gas.”

Neptune is the operator with 60%, its other partner being the Dutch state entity EBN.

Dutch gas production is changing rapidly as the main gas field Groningen is due to be out of service from 2022, in response to the tremors caused by drilling and production over the decades. There is nothing to replace it in terms of flexibility and volume, and investment in the so-called "small fields" has not yielded the hoped-for results.