Abu Dhabi's Taqa taps first oil from North Sea

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) has got first oil from the Cladhan field in the UK North Sea.

The field is developed as a tie-back to the Taqa-operated Tern Alpha platform. The Cladhan field is located approximately 100 kilometres northeast of the Shetland Islands in a water depth of approximately 150 metres.

The field lies 17.5km southwest of the Tern platform. The development consists of two producer wells and one injection well. The project will produce 10,000 barrels of oil per day initially.

Taqa is the operator of Cladhan, with a 64.5 per cent interest. Sterling Resources (UK) and MOL Group hold a two per cent and 33.5 per cent interest respectively.

In the UK, Taqa operates five platforms which produce from 13 fields spread across the Northern North Sea and the Central North Sea. Taqa is also the operator of the Brent pipeline.

Peter Jones, Taqa's UK managing director, said: "Cladhan is the third field developed by Taqa and the largest to date. First oil therefore represents a significant milestone."

He said that developing Cladhan as a tie-back to Tern underlines "our commitment to invest in infrastructure and to maximise economic recovery in the North Sea."

Taqa has completed three of its six major projects. The 4.1 billion cubic meter Bergermeer gas storage in the Netherlands, the expanded 330 MW Takoradi T2 power plant in Ghana and 100 MW Sorang hydro plant in northern India have started production.

In the UAE, the 30 MIGD expansion of its Fujairah water plant is expected to be completed soon.

The first phase of Taqa's Atrush project in the Kurdistan region of Iraq is scheduled to produce first oil in 2016, with production expected to reach 30,000 boepd gross.

Taqa's oil and gas production decreased by nine per cent to 144,900 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), from 158,500 boepd, in the same period last year, according to the company's third quarter report. The decrease is a result of natural decline, reduced capital investment and third-party pipeline restrictions in Canada, offset by higher production efficiency globally and a successful well intervention programme in the UK, it said.

The energy company has reduced unit operating costs by 40 per cent in the Netherlands and 18 per cent in the UK and North America.
Source: Khaleej Times