AMEC, the international engineering and project management company has been appointed by Xcite Energy Resources Ltd (XER) to undertake consultancy work to help develop the Bentley heavy oil field situated in the North Sea, 160 kilometres east of the Shetland Isles.
The value of the contract has not been announced.
Working as part of XER’s project consortium, AMEC will provide technical consultancy, engineering and project management for the well test programme planned for mid-2010.
The first phase development planned to commence production in 2011, and in due course the full field development of the Bentley Field.
New technologies in the heavy oil arena are allowing fields such as Bentley to become viable and to extend the oil-producing life of the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS).
XER has plans in place to develop the Bentley reservoir and is proposing to use these technologies available from AMEC to assist in the full realisation of Bentley’s potential.
The reservoir contains around 160 million barrels of recoverable oil. However, the oil is a heavy type and will require special skills and equipment to extract it. AMEC’s heavy oil experience and capability in flow assurance, engineering and project management, coupled with the drilling and subsurface capabilities of the project consortium, will maximise the probability of a successful well test this year.
The project will be run from AMEC’s Aberdeen office, supported by AMEC’s worldwide capability.
“I am delighted that we are able to work with XER in helping to unlock Bentley as part of the remaining reserve potential of the UKCS,“ said John Pearson, Managing Director for AMEC’s Europe and West Africa business. “Projects such as Bentley continue to show the resilience of the North Sea oil and gas industry and we look forward to working with XER’s team and other consortium members. This is a significant project for AMEC and builds on our heavy oil experience.”
Richard Smith, Chief Executive Office of XER added: “We are looking forward to working together with AMEC. Their experience, skills and capabilities will greatly assist us in bringing the Bentley Field into production at the earliest opportunity.”
For more information,. www.xcite-energy.com
