Oil major Total has achieved first gas and condensate production from its second-phase development of the West Franklin field in the North Sea.
Work on the project, which will add 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to the Elgin/Franklin production hub, began in 2010 and production was originally expected to come on-stream early last year.
The phase-two resource has seen Total and its joint venturers Eni, BG, E.ON, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Summit and Dyas target gas deposits 6,000m below the seafloor in a technically challenging, high- pressure, high-temperature environment.
The development, 240km east of Aberdeen, was carried out by opening up three new wells using cutting-edge drilling techniques.
Two new platforms were installed to recover the reserve estimated at some 85 million barrels of oil equivalent one of which will be used to explore new targets in the Elgin field area.
“With the start-up of the West Franklin Phase 2 project, Total consolidates the production capacity of its operated Elgin/Franklin hub,” said Michael Borrell, Total’s senior vice-president for exploration and production in Europe and Central Asia.
“The hub holds significant reserves as well as promising exploration opportunities.”
West Franklin was initially identified by Total in 2003, and first-phase production commenced in 2007.
The company has been present in the UK since 1962 and produced the equivalent of 105,000 barrels of oil a day in 2013, the vast majority of which originated from the Alwyn/Dunbar area in the Northern North Sea and from Elgin/Franklin.
Total yesterday said it also expected production from Laggan/Tormore, its new third UK production hub located West of Shetland, to come online this year.
Ernst den Hartigh, managing director of stakeholder BG Group’s Europe E&P business, said first production from West Franklin was a major milestone.
He said: “We are pleased to see first production from the West Franklin field, which will help extend the life of this important North Sea hub.
“By working closely with Total and other JV partners we have contributed and extended our knowledge of high-pressure, high-temperature gas developments, which is key to our UK strategy.”