Britain's oil industry is facing the threat of a cascade of North Sea rig closures, unless ageing platforms can urgently source more gas to help squeeze out the remaining barrels.
The potential threat to oil revenues looms as Scotland prepares to vote in September's independence referendum – a debate in which oil production forecasts have become a political football.
The affected Northern North Sea (NNS) is a very mature part of the basin where producers are trapped in a vicious circle of falling output, rising costs to patch up ageing platforms, and dwindling power supplies.
To lift more oil from these depleted reservoirs, producers need to inject vast quantities of water – a power intensive process that requires a reliable source of energy, known as fuel gas. Some platforms are not able to generate enough of their own fuel so have to try and import the shortfall from neighbours, but the overall net position in a key part of the NNS will go negative as early as 2016.
This could force the early abandonment of rigs, with the loss of critical platform hubs sounding the death knell for dependent fields.
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Weatherford Complex East Of Williston
Turn OFF the volume.Video of the Weatherford complex east of Williston, on the way to Stockyard Creek. This is a relatively new complex, completed in the last couple of years. Note the new construction on the site near the end of the video.
That is a huge complex! I'm guessing the building going up at the end of the video is an office building since the numerous others appear to be service and equipment warehouses and buildings.
ReplyDeleteYes, it really is huge, and it seems to be anticipating much increased activity in the Bakken. I think you are correct; it does look like an office building.
DeleteHi Bruce just noticed big complex going up in north Dickinson at five diamond the sign said future home of weather ford
DeleteThank you. I appreciate that. I spent the day in the Watford City area, especially the northeast. Incredible amount of highway construction, housing, commercial, etc. Reminded me of where Williston was about three years ago.
DeleteAccording to someone who works at the Williston complex, there are 12 buildings that have been built or under construction at this location. Weatherford has 3 or 4 other locations scattered around town. But so far they haven't closed any of them. I guess its not unusual to have multiple locations that serve different purposes? Schlumberger, Halliburton Baker Hughes to name a few, have multiple locations around Williston even though they also have their own huge complexes besides the smaller ones.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is correct. I think some of this has to do with the fact that these large companies have multiple divisions which are somewhat independent. The various divisions have different "cultures," different needs/customers, etc., build in different locations. Of course, some of this has to do simply with availability of land/location. I thought I read that Weatherford was going to consolidate" all their Williston operations into one complex, but even with that big location east of town, I have seen other Weatherford lcoations around the city.
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