Enquest has applied to the UK authorities to drill a single well into an undeveloped fault block at its Don field in the northern North Sea to move ahead with a development that the independent operator is calling Don North East.

EnQuest said it is planning to start drilling a single well — 211/18a-JB — which is classed as an exploration/development well in about May 2020, with first oil expected in the third or fourth quarter of 2020.

“The scale of any future development at the wider Don field will depend on the volumes proven by the exploration/development well,” said Enquest in an environmental statement.

EnQuest owns 60% of Don North East with Ithaca Energy on 40%.

However, EnQuest said that Ithaca has “elected not to participate” in the development so EnQuest has decided to move forward with it on its own with a 100% interest.

Don North East is located in blocks 211/18a and 211/19c, about 143 kilometres north-east of the Shetland Islands and 10 kilometres west of the UK-Norway median line in water depths of 156 to 170 metres.

EnQuest said the well will be drilled from the existing Don South West production centre.

The plan is to then tie back the well to the EnQuest-operated Northern Producer floating production facility.

Oil production will be exported from the Northern Producer

FPF through existing pipelines to the Thistle Alpha platform and then onwards to the EnQuest-operated Sullom Voe Terminal in Shetland.

Gas will be used for power on the Northern Producer FPF and exported if large enough quantities are produced.

The wider Don oilfield lies in blocks 211/13b, 211/18a, 211/18e, 211/19c and 211/19a of the UK continental shelf and currently consists of Don South West, West Don, Conrie and Ythan, which are tied back to the Northern Producer FPF. EnQuest said a drilling rig has not yet been selected but a semi-submersible unit with the capability to operate in the harsh environment northern North Sea is likely to be used. The Don field comprises a series of fault blocks, three of which have been developed so far.

“The Don North East development is accessing a new, undeveloped fault block within the Don field, a field that contains an undrilled potential reservoir,” EnQuest said.

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EnQuest looking to add Don North East volumes