RWE Dea UK announced the delivery of first commercial gas from the Cavendish field. 

The field is located in the UK Southern Gas Basin in the RWE Dea operated Block 43/19a. Field development began in July 2005 and production is expected to continue until 2016. The expected initial production rate from the first well is 60 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscf/d).

Christoph Schlichter, RWE Dea's UK Managing Director said: “Cavendish is RWE Dea’s first operated development project in the UK and we are delighted to have achieved first gas production from this challenging Carboniferous gas field which was discovered in 1989. Our development team has worked closely with the Department for Trade and Industry, joint venture partner Dana Petroleum, host operator ConocoPhillips, and many contractors in successfully achieving this milestone. We will continue with our investment programme in the UK Southern Gas Basin which so far has led to a production increase from 10 mmscf/d in 2005 to over 140 mmscf/d of equity gas for RWE Dea UK today.”

The development consists of a 6 slot minimum facilities platform which is tied back to the Cais-ter Murdoch System (ConocoPhillips) via 47kms of newly laid 10-inch diameter pipeline. Gas is then transported onward to the Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal in the UK.

RWE Dea AG, headquartered in Hamburg, conducts international exploration for natural gas and crude oil. The company deploys state-of-the-art drilling and production techniques and utilises the vast expertise acquired over more than 100 years of its corporate history. It has also set standards in terms of safety and environmental protection.

RWE Dea holds interest in production facilities in Germany, the UK, Norway, Denmark, and Egypt, and holds exploration licenses in Algeria, Libya and Poland. In Germany, RWE Dea also operates high-volume underground storage facilities for natural gas. The company is part of the RWE Group – one of Europe's biggest energy corporations.

RWE Dea UK Development Limited operates the Cavendish field with a 50% equity, along with partner Dana Petroleum (E&P) Limited (50%).

The Cavendish field is predominantly located in Block 43/19a, some 140km north-east of Easington on the Lincolnshire coast and 180km north of Bacton on the Norfolk coast. The water depth of the field is approximately 18.5 metres.

Main contracts awarded on the Cavendish development include Heerema Vlissingen B.V for the minimum facilities platform, Technip for the pipeline installation, and Noble Asset (UK) Ltd for the drilling.

www.rwedea.com