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MacRobert Award
1997 Finalist
BP Exploration Operating Co. Ltd., Wytch Farm
Using innovative Extended Reach Drilling techniques, BP have developed the Wytch Farm oilfield almost invisibly, and without disruption of the marine habitats, biology and archaeology in this highly environmentally sensitive area. Wytch Farm is currently Europe's largest onshore oilfield and its main reservoir extends offshore about 1.6 km in depth beneath Poole Bay.
Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) involves drilling a well from a small, existing, onshore location and then drilling horizontally until the correct area of the reservoir is reached. The latest well, at 8 km long, is the longest well that has every been drilled. The success of ERD at Wytch Farm has resulted in an increase in oil production from 66,000 to 110,000 barrels of oil per day. BP are planning to apply this technology to oilfields previously thought uncommercial or inaccessible.
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