History
5 Oct 1971 – 10 Jun 1972
Mobil drill the first well on our blocks
Mobil drilled 21/28-1 using the Glomar III rig, the well was designated a dry hole, but actually found the Feugh field, the first discovery on the blocks.
Image credit : National Library of Australia
12 Jun 1987 – 25 Jun 1987
Mobil drill the Crinan discovery well
Mobil drilled 21/28a-4 using the M. G. Hulme rig, they discovered Crinan which was thought to be part of the Fyne field just to the North.
Image credit: Bjørn Poulsen
15 Mar 1989 – 18 Apr 1989
Fina discover the Harbour field
Fina, with partners Mobil, Repsol and Amerada Hess, drilled the 21/27-1 well using the Glomar Arctic III rig. This was the discovery well on Harbour, and proved up mobile oil in the Eocene.
Image credit: Koos Hauser
30 Sep 1989 – 3 Nov 1989
Fina discover the Pilot field
Fina and partners drilled the 21/27-2 well once again using the Glomar Arctic III rig. This well discovered Pilot and tested a six foot interval at the top of the reservoir at 80-115 bbls/day of 17º API oil.
Image credit: Ria Maat
10 May 1990 – 19 Jun 1990
Mobil find the Dandy field
Next door to Pilot, Mobil continued their appraisal of the Fyne field and drilled 21/28-6 with a rig then called the Maersk Highlander, to discover what was subsequently named the Dandy field. This well flowed 20º API oil at over 1,000 bopd.
Image credit: R Engelsman
14 Jun 1990 – 12 Jul 1990
First appraisal well on Pilot
The first appraisal well on Pilot 21/27-3, drilled using the Ocean Kokuei, was a disappointment for Fina as the sands pinched out and the oil-bearing sand interval wasn’t of great quality. But the data gathered was really helpful for Fina and subsequent operators, as it enabled accurate mapping of the pinch-out which provides the updip stratigraphic seal on Pilot.
Image credit: Oddbjorn Jortveit
13 Jul 1990 – 3 Aug 1990
Pilot South is discovered
Fina moved the Ocean Kokuei to the South and drilled 21/27-4 which discovered Pilot South, a part of the Pilot field with a shallower oil water contact than the main Pilot field.
Image credit: Paul Ling
1 Feb 1991 – 1 Jan 1993
Steve Brown led BP’s Harding pre-project team
Steve Brown (now Orcadian Energy’s CEO) was appointed BP’s team leader for the pre-project phase of the Harding development. This first offshore viscous oil development for BP was redesigned to use horizontal wells and a heavy duty jack-up drilling and production facility. In the end Harding Central achieved a 74% recovery factor.
Image credit: Wood
5 Nov 1993 – 3 Dec 1993
Arco discovered Narwhal
Arco drilled the 28/2-1 well using the Sedco 711. The well discovered the Narwhal field which lies to the South of Pilot.
Image credit: Tor Erlend Gjærde
Oct 1997 – May 2002
Steve Brown founds Challenge Energy and starts working with Greg Harding
Steve Brown along with Nick Hooke, Phil Seligmann and David Keith found Challenge Asset Management (now part of SLR) to provide oil and gas consultancy services. It was at Challenge that Steve first met and then recruited Greg Harding to work with him.
9 Mar 1998 – 11 Apr 1998
Monument and Halliburton drill the Dandy appraisal well
Monument, with partner Halliburton Energy Development, mobilise the Maersk Petrolia to drill 21/28a-8 and 8Z to appraise the Dandy discovery. This sidetracked well tests at over 1,000 bopd.
Image credit: Foggy
Sadly the only picture we could find of the Maersk Petrolia was while she was being decommissioned.
16 Sep 1998 – 18 Nov 1998
Fina return to test the Pilot discovery
Fina, with new partners Monument and Repsol (BP’s partner on Harding), return to the Pilot discovery, with the Santa Fe 135, and drill 21/27a-5, sidetrack to drill 21/27a-5Z and drill a short horizontal well, 21/27a-5X which tests at up to 1,850 bbls/day with an ESP in the well.
Image credit: Philip Andrew Muscat
6 Nov 2000 – 7 Dec 2000
Murphy discovers Elke
Murphy and partners CIECO, OMV and PanCanadian mobilse the Transocean John Shaw to drill the Elke discovery well.
Image credit: maltashipphotos.com
1 Sep 2001 – 6 Apr 2006
Venture build controlling stake in Pilot
Over a period of years Venture built up a controlling stake in the Pilot field, acquired the Narwhal discovery, and worked on a field development plan for Pilot. This work was very well advanced and a Letter of Intent for a Sevan FPSO had been signed.
1 Jan 2003 – 1 Jul 2004
Petrofac buy Elke
Petrofac negotiate a deal to acquire a 100% interest in the Elke discovery. This negotiation was led by Steve Brown, who at the time was Petrofac’s head of business development, and Richard Hall, who had drilled the discovery well with Murphy.
30 Jun 2007 – 23 Jul 2007
Venture drill the 21/27a-6 Pilot appraisal well
Venture drilled the 21/27a-6 well, with the Noble Ton Van Langeveld, and took a sample of the oil which had a gravity of 15ºAPI and a reservoir viscosity of 400 cP. Venture were disappointed as they had hoped for lighter oil and their low well intensity development scheme would not work with more viscous oil.
Image credit: Ian Mantel
24 Jul 2007 – 3 Aug 2007
Venture drill the 28/2a-2 Narwhal appraisal well
Double disappointment for Venture as they move the Noble Ton Van Langeveld south to drill the only well on our blocks not to find oil. The well was not drilled with the benefit of a 3D seismic survey and while it found a good sand package there was no oil.
Image credit: Rolf Bridde
1 Jan 2010 – 1 Apr 2010
EnQuest is listed
EnQuest, which was formed through the merger of Petrofac and Lundin Petroleum’s UK North Sea assets, was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Petrofac’s assets included the Elke discovery.
24 Jul 2010 – 7 Aug 2010
Wintershall discover Blakeney
Wintershall along with partner Sterling Resources drill the 21/27b-7 well, with the Ocean Nomad, and discover the Blakeney field which lies just North East of Pilot.
Image credit: Marton Berntsen
Apr 2013
Delamaide et al, publish on the success of polymer flooding at Pelican Lake
Pelican Lake is the first successful application of polymer flood in a high viscosity oil reservoir (1,000-2,500cp). With a substantial boost to recovery factor demonstrated in the field.
6 Nov 2014
Pilot licence P2244 awarded to Orcadian Energy (CNS)
Orcadian Energy is awarded its first licence which covers the Pilot discovery. The field had a large oil in place yet previous operators development schemes had not seemed profitable. The opportunity to maximise recovery by applying EOR techniques and intensifying the well density had not been fully explored and we knew that we had secured a great asset.
1 Jun 2016
Maurice Bamford joins the team
Maurice Bamford, who had previously been Exploration and Geoscience manager for both EnQuest and Talisman, joins the Orcadian Team. At EnQuest Maurice had led the reservoir description and evaluation of Pilot and Elke.
1 Jun 2017
Alan Hume joins the Orcadian team
Alan Hume joined the Orcadian team, supporting the company first as an advisor, and since June 2018 as Chief Financial Officer.
1 Jun 2017 – 1 Mar 2020
Orcadian, Pragma and OGTC work on HT-DHSV
Orcadian and the OGTC supported a work programme undertaken by Pragma Well Technology to design and build the world’s first high temperature downhole safety valve.
14-18 April 2018
Chevron publish the results of their polymer flood pilot scheme on Captain
Anette Polusen et al, publish SPE-190175-MS “Results of the UK Captain Field Interwell EOR Pilot” which details the results of a polymer flood pilot conducted on a lobe of the southern upper Captain sand. Two horizontal wells were drilled 125m apart. After an 18 month period of water injection, polymer flood recovered the total expected waterflood reserves within less than a year and within 18 months deliver a 16% uplift to expected waterflood recovery.
12 Dec 2018
Chevron approved stage 1 of a polymer flood on Captain
The Captain EOR project, which will involve the application of polymerised water injection technology, will boost production and help maximize economic recovery from the Captain Field, which has been in production since 1997. Stage 1 of the Captain EOR project will see drilling of up to six long-reach horizontal injection wells.
1 Jan 2019 – 23 Jul 2019
Shell invests in Orcadian
As part of a marketing arrangement for the oil to be produced from the Pilot field, Shell’s trading group loaned Orcadian Energy $1m.
1 Sep 2019
David Puckett, formerly OGA’s polymer specialist joins the Orcadian team
David Puckett who had been BP’s EOR R&D manager, and then the polymer specialist at the OGA, joined the Orcadian team to help us properly understand the potential benefits of using polymer flood technology on Pilot.
1 Sep 2019 – 1 Sep 2020
Pilot Concept Select study
Orcadian Energy engaged Crondall Energy, RDS (part of KCA Deutag) and Petrofac to prepare a Concept Select Report for Pilot. As part of this work we identified that a polymer flooding reservoir recovery mechanism gave the very best result economically and environmentally. The development concept comprises two wellhead platforms and an FPSO.
11 Nov 2019
Christian Wilms appointed as a non-Executive director of Orcadian Energy
Christian joined the Company having spent over 20 years working in the industry with Shell and MOL Group. At Shell Christian held a number of leadership positions. After leaving Shell he joined MOL Group as Senior Vice President Subsurface & Field Development responsible for all development projects as well as supporting business development and exploration.
7 Sep 2020
Orcadian and Parkmead awarded blocks in the Outer Moray Firth
In partnership with Parkmead, Orcadian Energy is awarded a licence over the Fynn discoveries. This licence lies in the Outer Moray Firth midway between the Piper and Claymore fields.
1 Mar 2021
Joe Darby is appointed non-Executive Chairman of Orcadian
Joe Darby steps up to become the non-Executive chairman of Orcadian Energy, Joe brings a wealth of board level experience to the business.
1 Apr 2021
Pharis Energy changes name to Orcadian Energy
Orcadian Energy became the new name for our company. We had to rename ourselves as Pharis Energy was too close to Pharos Energy, which had been renamed from SOCO International in October 2019.
8 Apr 2021
Ithaca approves stage 2 of the Captain polymer flood, the subsea phase.
EOR Stage 2 is the next phase of development at the Captain Field and is building on the success of EOR Stage 1. The project is designed to significantly increase hydrocarbon recovery by injecting polymerised water into the reservoir through additional subsea wells, subsea infrastructure and new topsides facilities. Stage 1 of the project demonstrated that polymer EOR technology works, with the production response in line with or better than expected across all injection patterns.
1 May 2021
Tim Feather appointed non-Executive Director of Orcadian
We’re delighted to welcome Tim, who brings a wealth of corporate finance experience.
1 July 2021
CSR Addendum submitted to the OGA
Following completion of a polymer core flood work programme and an emissions reduction exercise Orcadian submitted a Concept Select Report Addendum to the OGA, in this Addendum we decided to eliminate the gas import pipeline and import electrical energy from a floating wind turbine.
15 July 2021
Orcadian Energy plc is listed on the AIM market
The entire share capital of Orcadian Energy plc was admitted to trading on AIM at 8:00am on the 15th July 2021, under the ticker ORCA.
29 Nov 2021
OGA issues “Letter of no objection”
We received a “Letter of no objection” from the Oil and Gas Authority (“OGA”) regarding the development concept for the Pilot field. This letter signals the finalisation of the “Assessment phase” and the entry into the “Authorisation phase” of development planning for the Pilot Field.
6 Dec 2021
Orcadian wins OGA Electrification Competition
Following a competitive process the Oil and Gas Authority (“OGA”) selected Orcadian to evaluate an approach to the electrification of North Sea oil and gas platforms which will dramatically cut carbon emissions. Orcadian’s partners in this work are Crondall Energy, Enertechnos, North Sea Midstream Partners, Petrofac and Wärtsilä.
13 Jun 2022
Draft FDP submitted to the NSTA
Following receipt of a “Letter of No Objection” to our selected concept at the end of November 2021, Orcadian Energy prepared a draft Field Development Plan for Pilot and submitted that to the NSTA in June 2022.
15 June 2022
Orcadian Energy licences seismic from TGS
Orcadian Energy licensed over 2,000 sq km of seismic over the Western Platform from TGS under an innovative royalty based commercial arrangement
23 June 2022
Orcadian Energy delivers report on carbon emissions solution for North Sea
Orcadian Energy on behalf of its partners Crondall, North Sea Midstream Partners, Petrofac, Enertechnos and Wärtsilä has delivered to NSTA a report on how to decarbonise existing production facilities.
8 December 2023
Orcadian Energy signs development farm-out deal with Ping Petroleum
Development farm-out deal which leaves Orcadian with an 18.75% carried interest in the Pilot development signed with Ping Petroleum UK plc
31 January 2024
Orcadian Energy offered two licences in 2nd tranche of 33rd round awards
Orcadian was offered a licence over the Fynn Beauly discovery with Parkmead as operator and a licence over gas prospects on the Mid North Sea High with Triangle as partner
31 March 2024
Farm out of Pilot to Ping completes
The farm out of an 81.25% interest in the Pilot licence to Ping petroleum UK plc completed. Orcadian retains an 18.75% interest carried to the first offload of production from the field.
