Hurricane Energy produces first oil at fractured basement field

HURRICANE Energy has produced first oil from the UK’s first fractured basement field in the North Sea.

The UK-based oil and gas company is focussing on resources in naturally fractured basement reservoirs. These are naturally occurring fissures in granite that are found below the softer sandstone from which the majority of oil and gas in the North Sea is produced. Hurricane Energy is hoping to be the first company to commercially produce oil from a fractured basement field.

First oil was produced from two wells at its Lancaster field on 4 June after a 72-hour production test as part of the startup phase. The combined flow from both wells reached and maintained 20,000 bbl/d, equivalent to the planned production rate. The company plans to have a phased approach over the next six months, producing an average of 9,000 bbl/d for the first three months and 13,000 bbl/d for the following three.

Robert Trice, Chief Executive of Hurricane, said: "We have successfully achieved our startup data acquisition objectives and commenced the evaluation of this material. Up to 12 months of stable production will be required in order to provide a clear view of the reservoir and enable us to plan for associated full field development scenarios."