Shell completes drilling of Corrib tunnel (Ireland)

Vermilion Energy Inc. has announced that tunnel boring operations beneath Sruwaddacon Bay have been completed at the Shell-operated Corrib project in Ireland.

The tunnel, which reached its total length of 4.9 km on May 21, will serve as a conduit for the gas pipeline between the Bellanaboy gas processing facility to the offshore pipeline landing valve at Glengad.

Several key activities remain to be completed prior to initiation of production at Corrib. These activities include demobilization of the tunnel boring machine, running flow and umbilical lines within the tunnel, grouting of the tunnel, certain offshore well workover activities, and receipt of final authorizations for start-up of the Bellanaboy gas facility.

“Based on the current deterministic schedule for the project, we anticipate first gas from Corrib in approximately mid-2015, with peak production estimated at approximately 58 mmcf/d (approximately 9,700 boe/d) net to Vermilion,” the company said in a press release.

The Corrib gas field was discovered in 1996 by Enterprise Oil. It contains an estimated 1 trillion cubic feet of gas, making it Ireland’s largest gas find after Kinsale Head (1.5 trillion cubic feet). At peak production it has the potential to meet up to 60% of Ireland’s gas needs. The life of the reservoir is expected to be 15 to 20 years. The Corrib Gas Partners are Shell E&P Ireland Limited (45% and operators), Statoil Exploration Ireland Limited (36.5%) and Vermilion Energy Ireland Limited (18.5%).