The operator of the Wressle oilfield in North Lincolnshire said today it wanted to extend the site and add two new production wells that would extract hydrocarbons for 10-15 years.
At a community consultation event, Egdon Resources said one of the wells would target a gas reservoir.
A third well would reinject water, that comes to the surface with oil and gas.
Wressle is the UK’s newest onshore producing oilfield. Since reports of formal production began in September 2022, it has produced about 5% of UK onshore oil, second to the second largest producer Wytch Farm in Dorset (about 80%).
Egdon said it aimed to submit a planning application for the wells and site extension to North Lincolnshire Council by 31 January 2024.
It estimated a decision would be made by 30 April 2024.
Plans
A series of exhibition panels at the event in Broughton, near Wressle, revealed that Egdon was planning to:
- Extend the Wressle wellsite by 50m to the south
- Drill the production wells “back-to-back” (one after the other)
- Target the Penistone Flags, mainly a gas reservoir, from the first well
- Drill the production wells to lengths of 2,400-2,700m and to 1,800-1,860m below ground
- Connect gas production, via a new pipeline, to the grid network 600m away
- Apply for hydrocarbon production until up to the late 2030s
The exhibition also confirmed that Egdon expected to carry out proppant squeezes (small-scale hydraulic factures) on the new production wells, as reported by DrillOrDrop.com earlier this month. Associated hydraulic fracturing, using larger amounts of both water and proppant, was not planned, the company said.
It said after the proppant squeeze, the two production wells would “flow to their full potential and will contribute gas into the local network for many years to come”.
The company also said the gas grid connection would eliminate the need for flaring. Official data reports the flare at Wressle has burned more than 5,000ksm3 (thousand cubic meters) of gas produced alongside the oil from July 2022 to August 2023 (the most recent period available).
The water reinjection well would avoid the transport and treatment of formation water. The existing Wressle well began producing water during June 2023. Official data for June-August 2023 reports that the well produced 230.6m3 of formation water.
On the impact of the proposals, Egdon said the drilling rig at Wressle would not be “particularly visible from many public viewpoints”.
It said the site was 500m from the nearest home. Any light spill from the site would be “carefully considered”, it said.
Egdon said it was also applying to the Environment Agency for environmental permits for the new Wressle wells. It said it would put all documents submitted online. These have not yet been posted and the application does not appear to have been published on the Environment Agency website.
Community
Egdon’s exhibition panels can be viewed online. Feedback on the proposals can be sent to the company until 24 December 2023. This does not replace a formal consultation by North Lincolnshire Council, which will open when the planning application has been submitted.
Egdon said it had given presentations on its plans to Appleby Parish Council (21 November 2023) and Broughton Town Council (27 November 2023).
It also said it would revive the Wressle community liaison group “in the coming weeks”. This comprises local people and representatives from North Lincolnshire Council, the police, Environment Agency, and Egdon management.
If the new wells were successful, they would generate funds for the existing Wressle community benefit scheme, Egdon said. This is managed by Broughton Community and Sports Association and in 2023 has awarded nearly £90,000 to local projects, the company said.
DrillOrDrop will report on responses to the proposals.
DRILL OR DROP? 
£90k to local projects, whilst the antis produced costs of over £400k. Pretty big difference.
How much will it cost to reinstate the landscape?? Any estimate of this cost in the planning application? There should be.
What is landscape? The site will be reinstated. Cost will fall to the operator. How about the landscape being covered by huge areas of solar panels and monstrous wind turbines? Then there is the landscape that will be covered in new and existing pylons. Seems that new landscape removal will be funded also-but by the tax payer!
Meanwhile, this area of the UK is home to hundreds of farming enterprises many with major impact to landscape to produce food-all with the assistance of fossil fuel. Without fossil fuel? Oh yes, “sustainable farming” that has no chance of sustaining the world’s population or sustaining even the UK’s population with affordable food, where for those being able to afford food it is something they have high on their agenda.
The planning application for this particular site has yet to be submitted. These are proposals being put forward for public scrutiny and feedback can be supplied until Christmas Eve. The planning application will be submitted in 2024. I suspect sensible suggestions will be incorporated into the application, purely NIMBY ones probably not. Ones that cost a fortune, probably not either-as why should they when alternative means of distributing “renewable” electricity to avoid impact upon landscape are being rejected as too expensive?!
It was always going to become evident. First the cost of Net Zero-around £4.5T for UK, then the impacts upon UK landscape and potential environment impact. A few tidy little oil and gas on shore sites, with buzzards and butterflies flitting about (see DoD previous!) are insignificant compared to what is coming down the track for the “green” satisfaction. Looking forward to an underground nuclear waste facility near by? Two of them required for UK, so someone will get some issues regarding their local land or sea scape. Lithium mining in Cornwall? That should help the tourists flock there! Tidal lagoon for Swansea-that required a big chunk of the Lizard to be blasted for granite blocks to be produced? I could go on, and on, and on but will leave it to the grandchildren to see what has been trashed in their name by grandparents who will have disappeared from the scene to be held to account, and ridicule. Trusting that the grandchildren will have survived the starvation episodes foisted upon them by “sustainable agriculture” that is not what they expected.
looking forward to getting cheep gas it’s nice to keep warm
As even the Tory government have admitted, any gas produced in this country belongs to the company producing it and will be sold on the global market at the global price. There will be no ‘cheep’ gas from here.
You mean you have rejected the help with energy bills from original and windfall taxation upon UK gas production, Pauline? (Interesting this windfall-a lot required when the wind falls!) Good for you. To do otherwise and accept it would make you a hypocrite. However, everyone I know has been extremely grateful for the help.
Will that help continue? Not if you get your way and I suspect you will not be putting a hand in your pocket to help the millions who are disadvantaged as a result.
Strange you believe anything from the Tory government from your past posts. If you have turned over a new leaf perhaps try one that is factually correct? It may be hard to find, but that one you have used is pretty obviously twaddle as many people receive their winter energy help like NOW!!
By the way, there is NO global price for gas. See US prices compared to European prices. Not that wise to go there Pauline. Someone might ask-WHY and HOW.
Snow in Cornwall this am! Pigeons feasting on hawthorn berries outside my window all day long to keep warm. OAPs expected to do the same?
Keep warm, folks.
Regarding reinstatement, when the wells are finally depleted, there is a great opportunity here for extracting geothermal heat. This could provide cheap district heating for a local housing estate for many years to come. What’s not to like ?