Goosander

Location and Geology

The Goosander oil field is located in the North Sea, approximately 11 km northwest of the Kittiwake installation, in block 21/12a of the UK continental shelf. The field is situated in shallow water with a depth of about 283 feet.

The field is currently operated by EnQuest Heather Ltd. The ownership is shared between EnQuest and Korea National Oil.

The Goosander field was discovered in 1998 by Shell. However, following a disappointing appraisal well in 2001, Shell abandoned further evaluation. The field was later developed by Venture Production, which re-completed the suspended subsea discovery well as a producer. The project development was approved by the UK Government in 2006, and production began the same year.

The Goosander development project involves a single production well tied back to the Kittiwake platform through a subsea bundle. This bundle includes a 30" carrier pipe, an 8" flowline, a 6" water injection line, and a 4" gas lift line. The project was supported by contractors such as Petrofac for Front End Engineering Design (FEED) and Subsea 7 for the engineering, procurement, installation, and construction (EPIC) of the subsea infrastructure.

The Goosander field has been highly productive, with the Phase 1 well producing 30,000 barrels per day (b/d) at its peak, significantly above initial expectations. Production from the field has been supported by gas injection and water injection to maintain reservoir pressure.
As of the reports, the field had recovered 98.14% of its total recoverable reserves, with peak production achieved in 2008. Production is expected to continue until the field reaches its economic limit in 2029.

The produced oil is processed on the Kittiwake platform, which has a current nameplate processing capacity of around 40,000 b/d of crude, 13.7 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of gas, and 70,000 b/d of water. The oil is then exported via the Forties pipeline system, which replaced the earlier method of using shuttle tankers.

While the field is nearing the end of its productive life, further satellite prospects in the Greater Kittiwake Area (GKA) continue to be evaluated. However, the primary focus for Goosander is on maintaining current production levels until it reaches its economic limit in 2029.

Key contractors involved in the development include Petrofac for FEED and Subsea 7 for the EPIC of the subsea infrastructure. Other partners and previous operators include Centrica Energy and Venture Production.