Kinsale Head gas field

The Kinsale Head gas field is an offshore natural gas field off the southern coast of Ireland discovered in 1973 near Old Head of Kinsale, in the Celtic Sea and met Ireland's gas need until 1996.[2] The gas field is located in a water depth of 100 metres and 1,000 metres below the seabed.[3]

Kinsale Head gas field
CountryIreland
RegionCeltic Sea
Offshore/onshoreOffshore
OperatorPetronas
Field history
Discovery1973
Start of production1978
Peak year1995[1]
Abandonment2020/2021 (expected)
Production
Current production of gas20×10^6 m3/d (710×10^6 cu ft/d)
Year of current production of gas2012[1]
Peak of production (gas; billion cubic meters per year)2.8

The gas field is expected to run dry in 2020 or 2021 and will then be decommissioned, including the removal of both platforms.[4]

History

Marathon Oil's Irish subsidiary Marathon Petroleum Ireland Ltd., started exploring for oil off the south coast of Ireland and in 1971 instead of finding oil, gas was found off the Old Head of Kinsale by the drill ship Glomar North Sea.[3] The discovery was confirmed as being commercially viable. Bord Gáis Éireann was established in 1975 and confirmed by the Oireachtas in 1976 under The Gas Act (1976) as the supplier and distributor of gas in Ireland.[5] Gas came on stream in 1978.[2]

Peak production occurred in 1995.

In 2008, the gas field was proposed as a potential place for the purpose of carbon dioxide capture and storage.[6]

A number of small fields now feed the Kinsale Head platforms including Ballycotton (discovered 1991), Southwest Kinsale (1999) and Seven Heads (2003). Southwest Kinsale was later used for gas storage, primarily for the winter months.[1]

Petronas acquired Marathon's Irish operation in 2009. The nearby discovery at Barryroe is controlled by Providence Resources.[7]

References
  1. "Our History". Kinsale Energy. Archived from the original on 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
  2. "Ireland: North West Europe". Energy Files. Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
  3. "Gas and the Environment: Irish Natural Gas Market". Bord Gáis. Archived from the original on 2009-09-04. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
  4. English, Eoin (2020-03-03). "Kinsale Head gas field to be decommissioned". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  5. "About Bord Gáis: 1970's". Bord Gáis. Archived from the original on 2009-09-04. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
  6. O'Keeffe, Mary (2008-09-18). "Kinsale gas field to be used for carbon storage". Cork Independent. Archived from the original on 2009-06-28. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
  7. "Providence acquires 40% stake in Kinsale Head gas field". breakingnews.ie. 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2020-03-29.

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