Clipper South
PRODUCTION FACILITY
Facility Name Clipper South Platform Duty Gas
Operator RWE-DEA Current Status Producing since 2012
Host Type Fixed Platform Water Depth 24 m / 79 ft
Dev.Cost n/a Region UK
 
Location UKCS 48/19c, 48/19a, 48/20a
 
OIL & GAS FIELD
Field Name Clipper South Discovery Date Mar 1983
Block UKCS 48/19c, 48/19a, 48/20a Reserve Type Gas
Current
Status
Producing Production Start Aug 2012
Water Depth 24 m / 79 ft
 
 
Description
 
The Clipper South gas field is located on UK Blocks 48/19c, 48/19a and 48/20a and straddles Production Licenses P008 and P465 in the Southern North Sea. RWE Dea serves as the operator and holds a 50% interest; Bayerngas holds 25%; and Fairfield Acer Limited holds the remaining 25%.

The Clipper South discovery was made by well 48/19a-3 in March 1983 and further delineated by well 48/19c-13Z in July 1992. Testing was performed on both wells, and a prolific amount of gas was proved. The field's reservoir is situated in the lower Permian sandstones belonging to the Rotliegend Group.

In 2008, when Fairfield acquired 100% interest from Shell and ExxonMobil, the operator evaluated the field. On May 14, 2009, Fairfield signed a farm-in agreement with RWE Dea UK. Under the terms of the agreement, RWE agreed to invest in certain development costs and in return the company acquired a 50% share of the field. Once completed, the operatorship was transitioned to RWE, and a joint project team commenced the development of the field.

Field Development

On March 7, 2011, the Department of Energy and Climate Change approved the operator's field development plan for Clipper South. The field was developed by five horizontal wells, each containing up to six hydraulic fractures, connecting to a wellhead platform and then piped to the LOGGS PR platform.

Production is transported to the Theddlethorpe terminal. Clipper South gas is processed at LOGGS under the terms of a Gas Transportation and Processing Agreement with the LOGGS owners.

All major contracts for the development were awarded, and first gas came online on Aug. 13, 2012. Production is anticipated to reach a maximum rate of 100 MMcf/d.

Contracts

In 2010, the operator awarded Heerema Vlissingen B.V. a contract to construct a jacket, topsides and piles for the Clipper South platform. The jacket will be about 131 feet (40 meters) tall with a total weight of 1,279 tons (1,160 tonnes); and the topsides will weigh approximately 2,205 tons (2,000 tonnes). Platform installation is planned for late summer 2011 with drilling to begin thereafter.

After receiving the government's approval, RWE Dea then awarded Technip a full EPIC contract. The scope of work encompasses full project management, detailed pipeline design, installation and tie-in of a 9.6 mile (15.5 kilometer), 12-inch production line and a 3-inch methanol piggyback line from the new Clipper South platform to the existing Lincolnshire Offshore Gas Gathering system platform. Work is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2011.
 
Activities
 
Clipper South Comes Online
Date: Aug. 2012
Type: Production Start
RWE Dea has delivered first gas from the Clipper South development in the UK sector of the North Sea. The field contains around 13.4 Bcm of gas in place. The first Clipper South well came on stream at initial rates of 1.2 MMcm/d with production expected to peak at 2.8 MMc/d in early 2013. The gas is located in a tight Permian age Rotliegend reservoir which contains about 3.4 Bcm of gas in place. The Clipper South Gas field lies in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) blocks 48/19 and 48/20, 62 miles (100 kilometers) east of the Lincolnshire coast. Gas from the Clipper South platform is transported about 9 miles (15 kilometers) to the Lincolnshire Offshore Gas Gathering System (LOGGS) and then about 62 miles (100 kilometers) to the onshore Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal in Lincolnshire, where the gas enters the UK grid.
RWE Dea Spuds Clipper South Development Well
Date: Feb. 2012
Type: Development Activity
RWE Dea has commenced development drilling at Clipper South in the UK sector of the North Sea. The development well, 48/19a-C1, is targeting a tight Permian-age Rotliegend reservoir at a depth of some 8,202 feet (2,500 meters) and is the first of up to five extended horizontal wells with multiple hydraulically induced fractures in each well. Clipper South contains roughly 500 Bcf of gas-in-place and will be developed using the latest well technology, stated the operator. First gas from the development is slated for this summer.
Heerema Completes Construction of Clipper South, Breagh Platforms
Date: Sep. 2011
Type: Status Update
The Heerema Fabrication Group has completed construction of two platforms for RWE Dea UK. At the HFG yard in Vlissingen, the 900-ton jacket with a height of 141 feet (43 meters) and the 2,300-ton topsides of the Clipper South platform were constructed in 14 months after the contract was received in April 2010. The Clipper South topsides, which can accommodate 40 people, sailed to its final destination on August 25 and was installed on August 27. The Clipper South platform is located in a water depth of 75 feet (23 meters). The HFG Vlissingen site also constructed the 1,700-ton Breagh Alpha jacket that has a length of 276 feet (84 meters). The Heerema Zwijndrecht location constructed the 1,271-ton topsides. Construction of the Breagh Alpha topsides began in December 2010 and the jacket in March 2011. Construction of the Breagh Alpha platform was completed within a year of the awarded contract. Currently, the Breagh Alpha jacket and topsides are awaiting offshore installation by Heerema Marine Contractors. The Breagh field is located on Blocks 42/12a and 42/13a in a water depth of 203 feet (62 meters).
RWE Dea Installs Clipper South Platform
Date: Aug. 2011
Type: Development Activity
RWE Dea is progressing with the Clipper South development in the UK sector of the North Sea. The Clipper South platform, with topsides weighing 1,900 tonnes and designed to accommodate 40 people, sailed away from the Heerema fabrication yard on August 25th. Installation of the platform occurred on August 27th with standalone overnight manning on the day of installation. First gas from Clipper South is expected in the first half of 2012. A 12-inch-long pipeline will connect the platform to the LOGGS complex for onwards transportation of gas to the Theddlethorpe terminal in the UK. The Clipper South gas field is located on UK Blocks 48/19c, 48/19a and 48/20a and straddles Production Licenses P008 and P465 in the southern North Sea. RWE Dea serves as the operator of the field and holds a 50% interest; Bayerngas holds 25%; and Fairfield Acer Limited holds the remaining 25%.
Technip Lands EPIC Contract for Clipper South Development
Date: Apr. 2011
Type: Development Activity
RWE Dea awarded Technip a full EPIC contract for the Clipper South development in the UK sector of the North Sea. The scope of work encompasses full project management, detailed pipeline design, installation and tie-in of a 9.6 mile (15.5 kilometer), 12-inch production line and a 3-inch methanol piggyback line from the new Clipper South platform to the existing Lincolnshire Offshore Gas Gathering system platform. Work is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2011. The Clipper South gas field is located on UK Blocks 48/19c, 48/19a and 48/20a and straddles Production Licenses P008 and P465 in the Southern North Sea. RWE Dea serves as the operator and holds a 50% interest; Fairfield Acer Limited holds the remaining 50%.
RWE Dea Gets Govt Nod to Develop Clipper South
Date: Mar. 2011
Type: Development Activity
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has approved RWE Dea's field development plan for the Clipper South gas field in the UK sector of the North Sea. The field will be developed by five horizontal wells, each containing up to six hydraulic fractures, connecting to a wellhead platform and then piped to the LOGGS PR platform. Production will be transported to the Theddlethorpe terminal. Clipper South gas will be processed at LOGGS under the terms of a Gas Transportation and Processing Agreement with the LOGGS owners. All major contracts for the development were awarded, and first gas is expected in the first quarter of 2012. Production is anticipated to reach a maximum rate of 100 MMcf/d. The Clipper South gas field is located on UK Blocks 48/19c, 48/19a and 48/20a and straddles Production Licenses P008 and P465 in the Southern North Sea. RWE Dea serves as the operator and holds a 50% interest; Fairfield Acer Limited holds the remaining 50%.
Bayerngas Acquires Interest in Cygnus, Clipper South
Date: Aug. 2010
Type: Acreage Acquisition
Bayerngas UK has entered into separate agreements relating to two gas developments. Under the first agreement, Bayerngas will acquire a 25% interest in the Clipper South project from Fairfield Energy. Fairfield will retain a 25% interest, and RWE Dea will remain as operator with a 50% interest. Under the second agreement, Bayerngas will acquire Endeavour Energy's 12.5% interest in the Cygnus project where the partners are GDF Suez (operator, 38.75%), and Venture North Sea (48.75%). Currently, the Cygnus partners are evaluating if the two recent appraisal wells impact the original FDP that was submitted in 2009. First gas from Cygnus is planned for 2013.
RWE Dea Awards EPC Contract to Heerema for Clipper South
Date: Aug. 2010
Type: Contract Award
Heerema Vlissingen B.V. will construct a jacket, topsides and piles for the Clipper South development. The jacket will be about 131 feet (40 meters) tall with a total weight of 1,279 tons (1,160 tonnes); and the topsides will weigh approximately 2,205 tons (2,000 tonnes). Clipper South is expected to come online in the first quarter of 2012. The Clipper South gas field is located on UK Blocks 48/19c, 48/19a and 48/20a and straddles Production Licenses P008 and P465 in the Southern North Sea. RWE Dea serves as the operator and holds a 50% interest; Fairfield Acer Limited holds the remaining 50%.
Clipper South on Target to Produce Gas by 2011
Date: May. 2010
Type: Development Activity
Development work on the Clipper South field has started, which consists of drilling horizontal multi-fraced wells. Platform installation is planned for late summer 2011 with drilling to begin thereafter. First gas is expected by 2011. The Clipper South gas field is located on UK Blocks 48/19a, 48/19c and 48/20a and straddles Production Licenses P008 and P465 in the southern North Sea. RWE Dea serves as the operator and holds a 70% interest.
Fairfield Energy Joins Forces with RWE Dea UK at Clipper South
Date: May. 2009
Type: Operator Update
Fairfield, as operator of the Clipper South field on Blocks 48/19c, 48/19a and 48/20a, has announced the signature of a Farm-In Agreement with RWE Dea UK. The Clipper South gas field was discovered in 1983 and appraised in 1992. Since acquiring the asset in 2008, Fairfield has executed a detailed technical and commercial evaluation of the field and is in the final stages of preparing a field development plan for submission to DECC. Fairfield has identified the optimum development scenario for Clipper South to be the use of horizontal multi-frac wells into the Permian Rotliegend reservoir.
 
Status History
 
Clipper South Platform

Producing - Aug 13, 2012 to -
The first Clipper South well came on stream at initial rates of 1.2 million cubic metres per day. Production is expected to peak at 2.8 million cubic metres per day in early 2013.
Under Construction - Aug 2010 to Aug 12, 2012
Heerema Vlissingen B.V. will construct a jacket, topsides and piles for the Clipper South development. The jacket will be about 131 feet (40 meters) tall with a total weight of 1,279 tons (1,160 tonnes); and the topsides will weigh approximately 2,205 tons (2,000 tonnes). Platform installation is planned for late summer 2011 with drilling to begin thereafter.
Clipper South

Producing - Aug 13, 2012 to -
The first Clipper South well came on stream at initial rates of 1.2 million cubic metres per day. Production is expected to peak at 2.8 million cubic metres per day in early 2013.
Under Development - Mar 07, 2011 to Aug 12, 2012
On March 7, 2011, the Department of Energy and Climate Change approved the operator's field development plan for Clipper South.
Discovery (Appraised) - Jul 1992 to 2008
Appraisal Drilling - Jun 1992 to Jul 1992
The discovery was further delineated by well 48/19c-13Z in July 1992.
Discovery (Drilled) - Mar 1983 to May 1992
The Clipper South Discovery was made by well 48/19a-3 in March 1983.
Exploratory Drilling - Dec 1982 to Mar 1983
Exploration well 48/19a-3
 
Project Map Europe - North Sea
Line Separator
Project Image
Clipper South Gas Field