IOG Spuds Blythe H2 Well

IOG said that drilling of the Blythe H2 well kicked off in the early hours of Sunday, March 5.

The operation is being carried out by the Noble Hans Deul jack-up drilling rig, which will soon be renamed Shelf Perseverance. IOG signed a contract for the vessel in 2020 with Shelf Drilling. IOG noted that Petrofac is the designated well operator.

The H2 well is expected to take approximately three months to drill, complete and hook-up, subject to the usual offshore operational risks to scheduling, IOG said in its statement.

The company’s plans factor in certain H1 production shut-in periods which are required for full compliance with offshore safety regulations. IOG further noted in its statement that under the Blythe platform Safety Case, on Sunday, February 26, the H1 well was taken offline to facilitate safe rig move, interfacing and top hole drilling operations.

An estimated total of 12 days of planned outages in March will result in lower average production this month. A shorter planned outage will also be required on completion of the H2 well to enable safe hook-up for production, the statement reads.

“The Blythe H2 well has the potential to significantly enhance our current production levels, reduce water production into the pipeline and minimize associated opex. It also has fast payback potential and will enable us to boost cash flow from mid-2023,” said Rupert Newall, CEO of IOG.

“I would like to thank our team for their outstanding efforts in accelerating this well, securing all 36 permits required and getting the rig moved across to the Blythe platform efficiently and ahead of plan.  This is the first well that has been designed, engineered and planned by our new IOG team working with our key contractors Shelf, Petrofac and ODE. We are very focused on ensuring safe, efficient and successful execution,” Newall noted, adding that the company is, in parallel, progressing its detailed post-A2 technical evaluation of Southwark and other key assets in the portfolio in order to optimize its plans beyond this well.

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