Total Marks 50 Years of Operations on Dutch Continental Shelf

Total E&P Nederland last month celebrated 50 years of operations on the Dutch continental shelf.

As part of the celebration ceremony, Total welcomed journalists and other guests to its Central Control Room in the Hague. The Central Control Room is the place from which the company monitors its offshore operations in the Netherlands.

During the ceremony, attended by Jos de Groot, Director Energy Market of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Total E&P Nederland made a presentation about its K4-Z offshore project, which produced first gas in August last year.

Also present at the ceremony in the Central Control Room of Total in The Hague were Henri-Max Ndong Nzue, Managing Director of Total E&P Nederland, Patrice de Viviès, Senior Vice President North Europe of Total Group, and Pierre Ménat, French Ambassador in the Netherlands, Total management and invited members of the press.

The K4-Z project

The K4-Z project is located 140 kilometers northwest of Den Helder in the Dutch North Sea. A marginal field, discovered back in 1974, the field lay dormant until the Dutch government instated the marginal field policy plus an accelerated depreciation measurement in 2010, rendering the development economically attractive.

The project, operated in a 50/50 partnership with the Dutch state-owned oil company EBN, has a production potential of 11,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

To develop the reserves, a new 2 wells completion has been installed at the K4-Z location, 17 kilometers west of the K5 Central Complex, at a water depth of 36 meters.

According to Total’s SVP North Europe Patrice de Viviès, the K4-Z project is a prime example of innovation for subsea development which is relevant to the entire Total group of companies.

“K4-Z sets the standard for subsea developments of stranded shallow water fields. Equipment has been installed far from the coast and there is a reduction of environmental impact. This type of installation will definitely be repeated by Total,”  de Viviès said.

Total E&P Nederland has been engaged in the exploration and production of natural gas in the North Sea Continental Shelf since 1964. Today gas is produced from 22 platforms and 4 subsea installations, located between 80 and 150 kilometers northwest of Den Helder. Most platforms are unmanned and remotely operated.

May 15, 2014