BP discovers new oil field

OIL COMPANY BP has announced two new oil and gas discoveries, one to the west of Shetland and the other in the central North Sea.

Achmelvich, near to the Clair Ridge field which pipes oil to the Sullom Voe Terminal, was drilled by the Paul B Loyd Junior rig last summer.

The company said evaluation and interpretation of the drilling results was ongoing to assess future options.

The second discovery in the Central North Sea has been named Capercallie.

In December last year BP handed over the operation of the Sullom Voe Terminal to EnQuest as part of a deal that also included the transfer of stakes in the Magnus oil field and associated pipelines.

BP North Sea regional president Mark Thomas said: “These are exciting times for BP in the North Sea as we lay the foundation of a refreshed and revitalised business that we expect to double production to 200,000 barrels a day by 2020 and keep producing beyond 2050.”