Clair South

Clair South Oil and Gas Field Profile

Location

The Clair South oil and gas field is located 75 kilometers west of the Shetland Islands in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), at water depths of up to 140 meters.

Coordinates and Blocks

The field spans across several license blocks, including 206/7a, 206/8a, 206/9a, 206/12a, and 206/13a, with precise coordinates at 60.6668, -2.783 (WGS 84).

History and Discovery

The Clair reservoir was discovered in 1977 with the exploration well #206/8-1a, which penetrated a 568-meter oil column in a Devonian to Carboniferous continental sandstone sequence. Over the years, numerous appraisal wells were drilled to delineate the field's extent and potential.

Ownership and Operator

The Clair South field is operated by BP, with ownership distributed among several companies:

• BP: 45.11%
• Shell: 27.97%
• Chevron: 19.42%
• Harbour Energy: 7.5%.

Development Phases

The Clair field is being developed in multiple phases:

• Phase 1: Began production in 2005, targeting the 'Core', 'Graben', and 'Horst' segments of the southern area of the reservoir. This phase involved the installation of production facilities and the drilling of 15 producing wells, eight water injectors, and one drill cuttings re-injection well.

• Phase 2 (Clair Ridge): Approved in October 2011, this phase involves the construction of a drilling and production platform bridge-linked to a living quarters and utilities platform. Production started in November 2018, with peak production expected at 120,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) and 100 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd) of gas.

• Phase 3 (Clair South): Currently in development, this phase is also known as the Clair South Oil and Gas Field or Clair Phase 3. The Final Investment Decision (FID) was expected in 2022 but was delayed due to the global oil price collapse. Production is now anticipated to start in 2027.

Project Details

• Status: In development
• Expected Production Start: 2027
• Estimated Reserves: Approximately 293 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).

Production and Reserves

• The Clair field as a whole is estimated to have around 8 billion barrels of oil in place, with the Clair South phase targeting a portion of these reserves.
• The estimated recoverable reserves for the Clair South phase are around 293 million boe, with additional estimated resources of 82 million boe.

Environmental Impact

The total lifecycle emissions from the Clair South field are estimated at 151 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCo2e) according to Friends of the Earth.

Technical Details

• The Clair field is a complex, heavily faulted reservoir divided into nine fault-bounded segments with a common free water level and a maximum oil column of around 600 meters. It features a gas cap overlying the structurally elevated ridge segments.
• The development involves advanced well placement and seismic imaging techniques to optimize production from the reservoir.

Contracts and Partnerships

• BP has entered into risk-sharing contracts with Baker Hughes and Odfjell Drilling for drilling and completions activities, aiming to increase average annual production on Clair Ridge and potentially extending to Clair South.

Infrastructure

• The field's infrastructure includes production platforms, living quarters, utilities platforms, and pipelines to transport oil and gas to the Sullom Voe Terminal.

In summary, the Clair South oil and gas field is a significant development within the larger Clair complex, leveraging advanced technologies and partnerships to optimize production and manage the complexities of this heavily faulted reservoir.