UK-based oil exploration and production company EnQuest is reportedly planning to develop a further two fields close to the Kraken field.
This is located some 80 miles east of the Shetland Islands.
The Bressay and Bentley fields are sufficiently close to the Kraken field that they can share the same production systems and connect to the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel currently serving the field.
The resulting cluster is expected to have more reserves than either the Cambo or Rosefield fields. The UK Government issued a license to develop Rosefield last year, but Cambo still faces an uncertain future after Shell, which also makes the Shell Gadus grease, announced that it wouldn’t be developing the field itself.
EnQuest’s Craig Baxter said of the fields’ possible development:
“EnQuest continues to explore ways to progress the respective development of the Bressay and Bentley fields. EnQuest is committed to supporting the energy transition in the UK, and any future field development will be conducted in line with EnQuest’s commitment to reaching net zero emissions by 2040.”
According to EnQuest, the two fields are among the biggest oil fields in the UK North Sea that remain to be developed. Bressay is expected to produce 200–300 million barrels of crude oil over its lifetime, while Bentley is expected to yield more than 300 million barrels.
Combined with the 137 million barrels currently being produced at the Kraken field, over 700 million barrels of crude oil could ultimately be produced at the cluster.
