Spirit Hits Gas in North Sea
UK field operator Spirit Energy has proved a gas discovery at its Andromeda North well in the southern North Sea, although the find is “at the lower end of expectations,” its partner Hague and London Oil (Halo) said on December 2.
Andromeda North was spudded in July near Spirit’s Pegasus West discovery and had a design depth of 3,000 metres. Its target was a potential 40bn ft3 of gas.
The well encountered a “significant” gas column in good quality, porous and permeable sandstone in the north side of the Pegasus West bounding fault, Halo said in a statement. Pressure data showed that the gas could be recovered and there was an “unquantified volume up-dip” of Andromeda North.
The partners will evaluate well results for future planning, including for a possible appraisal well along with ongoing development work in the Greater Pegasus Area.
“The Andromeda North well proved a natural gas discovery in the Carboniferous objective but at the lower end of expectations,” Halo’s chairman Andrew Cochran said. “However, it has also proven the Pegasus play further westward.”
Spirit operates licence P2128 where Andromeda North was drilled with a 55% stake, while Halo holds the remaining 45% interest. UK energy group Centrica last month reportedly launched the process of selling its 69% stake in Spirit, as part of efforts to pay off debt and shift its focus from fossil fuels to consumer energy services. The producer’s other owner is Germany’s Stadtwerke Muenchen (SWM), which is also evaluating offers from potential buyers.