Shell Todd Oil Services (STOS) is a step closer to its latest drilling program on the Māui field offshore New Zealand.
New Zealand's Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has given a 35-year marine consent to the company, a joint venture between Shell and Todd Petroleum Mining, for operations at the Māui condensate and gas field in the Taranaki Basin.
Māui, which sits in 110m water depth about 35km offshore New Zealand, is one of the country's largest fields, and was once of the largest discoveries when it was found in 1969.
The consent enables STOS to continue operations beyond June 2015, when an existing consent was due to end.
STOS is planning to drill up to 12 side-track wells from the 20,000-tonne Māui A platform (pictured), and up to 10 side-track wells from the normally unmanned Māui B platform. Drilling would be from existing conductors on the platform.
The EPA's marine consent covers work at both platforms, as well as all associated structures and submarine pipelines.
Māui A originally started production in 1979 from 14 wells. Māui B, 14km from Māui A, was installed in 1992 to further drain the field and tap deeper oil deposits, and is operated from Māui A.
According to the EPA, this is the second publicly notified application for a marine consent to be granted by the EPA. The first was granted to OMV for operations at its Maari field (first oil 2009).
Image: The Māui A platform. Photo from STOS.
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