Garten Discovery Demonstrates True Value of 'Smart, Nimble' Drilling

Apache Corporation’s Garten oil discovery, and potential quick production start-up, demonstrates the true value of a smart and nimble approach to exploration drilling, according to Oil & Gas UK’s upstream policy director Michael Tholen.

“It’s a welcome addition to the 350 million-barrel potential of successful discoveries highlighted in our recent Business Outlook 2018 report,” Tholen said in a statement sent to Rigzone.

“The Beryl field has been producing for more than 40 years and continues to yield new discoveries. As our report highlighted, efficiency and innovation remain mission critical in industry’s efforts to maximize economic recovery from the UK Continental Shelf, particularly in mature fields,” he added.

Recoverable resources at Garten are expected to exceed 10 million barrels of light oil, according to Apache, which is at the high end of predrill estimates.

Garten is scheduled to be suspended as a future producer and tied back to the Beryl Alpha platform, which is located around 4 miles south. Apache is working closely with the Oil and Gas Authority to obtain the regulatory approvals to initiate production, which is anticipated in the first quarter of 2019.

Apache’s latest find marks the company’s fourth commercial discovery in the Beryl area in the past three years. The company has a 100 percent working interest in the Garten block.