Total Starts Up Islay Production in UK North Sea

Total has announced today that it has begun production on the Islay field, which it discovered in 2008, a field located approximately 440 kilometres from the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland.

The field, which Total is the operator and 100 per cent shareholder of, is estimated to conatin up to 17 million barrels of oil equivalent of gas reserves. Initial daily production has begun at 15,000 barrels of oil equivalent.

Total says the field is shared over both the UK North Sea and the Norwegian North Sea, with the majority of the field located in the British Block 3/15. The remaining sections of the field are located in the Norwegian Blocks 29/6a and 29/6c.

The Islay field contains one single well, which Total says has now been tied-back to its fully owned Alwyn North platform via existing subsea equipment. This, it says, is part of a strategy of "using existing facilities to exploit the potential of satellite discoveries".

Total says the tie-back from the Islay well will also help to extend the lifetime of the Alwyn production hub.