Elgood gas field is being developed at a water depth of approximately 20m to 30m in 48/22c block in the southern North Sea of the UK Continental Shelf.
The field is operated by Independent Oil and Gas (IOG), which holds a 50% working interest. CalEnergy Resources (UK) owns the remaining 50% stake in the field. Elgood is being developed as a part of the broader Core Project phase one field development plan, which also includes the development of Blythe and Southwark fields.
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The final investment decision (FID) on the development of the Elgood field was taken in October 2019, followed by the approval of the Core Project phase one field development plan by the UK Government in April 2020.
The drilling campaign for phase one field development began with the Elgood field in April 2021. First gas from the Elgood gas field is expected to come online by the third quarter of 2021 while the phase one drilling campaign is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2022.
Elgood field location and reserves
The Elgood field is situated in licence area P2260 of southern North Sea gas basin, offshore UK. The field contains a good quality Rotliegend Leman sandstone reservoir and an estimated net gas reserve of 14 billion cubic feet equivalent (Bcfe).
Discovery of Elgood field
The Elgood field was discovered by the drilling of 48/22-4 discovery well in 1991 by the then developer Enterprise Oil but could not reach the development phase due to its predicted size and prevailing gas prices during that time.
Development of Elgood field
Elgood is being developed as a single subsea well, using Noble Hans Deul jack-up rig. It will be tied back to the unmanned platform and development well at Blythe, using a 9.1km-long 6in production pipeline and control umbilical.
The Elgood well is the first of five wells to be developed under the phase one drilling campaign of the Core Project. Gas from the Blythe platform will be further tied into the recommissioned IOG-owned Thames Pipeline via a 24.5km-long 12in gas export pipeline.
The Thames Pipeline will transport the gas to the onshore Bacton Gas Terminal located on the Norfolk coast in the east of England for processing.
Noble Hans Deul jack-up rig details
The 328ft-long, 249ft-wide, and 31ft-deep Noble Hans Deul jack-up rig reached the Elgood field in April 2021. It is a Liberia-flagged, Friede & Goldman-designed rig built by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Cooperation (DSIC).
The rig can operate at a maximum water depth of 400ft and drill up to the depth of 30,000ft. Equipped with five Caterpillar 3516B HD engines, the rig features a BLM C150E rack and pinion jacking system, Cameron Type U blow-out preventer, Vetco Gray Type 80 control system, cranes and a pipe handling system.
Contractors involved
Subsea 7 was contracted to provide engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI), as well as project management services for Core Project phase one in May 2020.
It sub-contracted JDR, a subsea umbilical and cable supplier, to provide the production and control umbilical, topside equipment and subsea terminations for the Elgood field in September 2020. JDR is manufacturing the equipment at its Hartlepool facility while other equipment, including low voltage (LV) cables and hydraulic hoses, will be manufactured at its Littleport facility.
Petrofac secured a well management contract for the phase one project in June 2020, while British offshore drilling contractor Noble received the rig contract for the project in November 2020 with an option for two additional wells.
Schlumberger is also one of the main drilling contractors for the first phase of the development drilling campaign of the Core Gas Project.
