The UK’s newest onshore oil production site has confirmed it is planning two new wells.
Egdon Resources, operator of the Wressle site in North Lincolnshire, said the wells were intended to target different parts of the oil reservoir.
The company told local people today the new wells would need planning permission from North Lincolnshire Council and a bespoke environmental permit from the Environment Agency.
The company said it was preparing both applications.
Egdon said it hoped to carry out a public consultation beginning next month (November 2023) and call a meeting of the Wressle community liaison group. The purpose was to give local people the chance to look at the proposals before the applications were submitted, it said.
Wressle currently has one well, known as Wressle-1, which began oil production from the Ashover Grit formation in July 2022.
Today’s confirmation that more wells were planned had been expected. Previous announcements have referred to plans to expand production at Wressle into the Penistone Flags.
Based on the most recent production data (July 2023), Wressle-1 is the second largest onshore oil producer in the UK, behind Wytch Farm in Dorset and ahead of Singleton, in West Sussex.
But monthly production from Wressle-1 has fallen, to 3,051m3 in July 2023 (about 4.5% of the UK onshore oil total), from a peak of 4,103m3 in January 2023.
In August 2023, Egdon revealed that Wressle-1 was producing water as well as oil, potentially increasing costs at Wressle.
A workover to increase the well’s oil production was reported by partners this week to have been successful. DrillOrDrop will report in the coming months on the impact of the workover on oil volumes from Wressle.
Egdon had a struggle getting planning permission for production at Wressle-1.
North Lincolnshire Council refused consent three times, in January and July 2017 and November 2018. Egdon lost an appeal against the 2017 decisions but won a second appeal against the 2018 refusal.
The company, recently taken over by the US-based Heyco Group, has a 30% stake in the Wressle licence. The other partners are Union Jack Oil plc (40%) and Europa Oil & Gas Ltd (30%).
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