Gas ready for production

Corrib gas wells now ready for production


Anton McNulty

THE five gas wells off the Mayo coast needed to supply the controversial Corrib gas terminal at Bellanaboy have all been made ready for production.
The work was finally completed on December 10 by the Sedco 711 drilling rig which had been operating at the Corrib field 80km off the coast of Mayo since early May. Although the work was completed more than two weeks ago, the rig had been waiting for suitable weather to haul in its anchors and head back to the relatively calm waters of the North Sea.
Further work on the installation of the subsea infrastructure and offshore pipeline – which will regulate and transport the gas from the reservoir to the onshore terminal – will be carried out in 2009 after which Corrib gas can come ashore.
The Sedco 711 drilling rig is owned by Transocean, and it operated in water depths of 350m with the Corrib gas reservoir a further 3km below the seabed.
The Sedco 711 is a semi-submersible drilling unit capable of operating in harsh environments and water depths up to 1,800 feet. The rig was serviced from Killybegs port and Carrickfinn Airport in County Donegal.