First natural gas flows from Shell's Corrib gas field in Ireland, the company said Wednesday.
“Today’s announcement is a positive step for our gas portfolio. It is also good news for Ireland as the provision of Corrib gas improves security of supply for the Irish energy market. Delivering gas from Corrib will bring many long term benefits to the Irish economy and consumers,” said Andy Brown, Shell’s Upstream International Director, in a written statement from the company.
The Corrib natural gas field is located 83 kilometers off Ireland’s northwest coast in water depths of almost 350 meters. It has the potential to provide the 60 percent natural gas needs of Ireland.
“We are pleased to have completed the development of this unique project and to bring the Corrib field on stream. I would like to pay tribute to all those who contributed to delivering this critical energy project, which will continue to bring benefits to the region and the country for years to come,” stated Ronan Deasy, Shell E&P Ireland Limited Managing Director.
The Corrib gas field project is a joint venture project among Shell E&P Ireland Limited 45%, Statoil Exploration Ireland Limited 36.5% and Vermilion Energy Ireland Limited 18.5%.
At peak annual production, the Corrib gas field is expected to produce around 7.35 million cubic meters of gas per day, which is 45,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
“We are very pleased to see production start at Corrib. The output from Corrib will be an important addition to Statoil’s international production portfolio,” said senior vice president for Statoil’s development and production activities in the UK and Ireland, Tove Stuhr Sjøblom, according to press release of Statoil on Wednesday.
"There have been several challenges for the operator and its partners to overcome on the road to this important milestone. The project has created many local jobs in the development phase and we are confident that the project will also contribute positively locally and nationally in the operational phase in terms of value creation and energy security,” she added.
By Ugur Ertas
Anadolu Agency
ugur.ertas@aa.com.tr