| Tui oil field | |
|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Location | Taranaki |
| Offshore/onshore | offshore |
| Operator | Tamarind Taranaki |
| Field history | |
| Start of production | 2007 |
| Production | |
| Estimated oil in place | 41 million barrels (~5.6×106 t) |
The Tui oil field is an oil reservoir located 50 kilometres (31 mi) off the west coast of Taranaki, New Zealand. Tui is the sixth largest crude oil field in New Zealand with total reserves of 41 million barrels (6.5×106 m3). [1] Remaining reserves as at January 2018 were 1 million barrels (160×103 m3). [1] Oil is produced from the Tui, Amokura and Pateke wellheads on the seabed in approximately 120m of water. These wells are connected to the Umuroa, a floating production storage and offloading vessel. [2]
The reservoir was discovered in 2003 by a joint venture between Australian Worldwide Exploration and New Zealand Overseas Petroleum. The nearby Amokura and Pateke oil reserves were discovered in 2004. [3] In 2016, Tamarind purchased AWE's 57.5% interests in the field. [4]
In early 2019, permits were granted for drilling of side track wells to extend the production life of the field. [5] [6] The drilling program was suspended in September 2019 after the first well was dry. [7] Following the suspension of the drilling program, Tamarind warned staff on the Umuroa that its contract would not be renewed after December 31. [8]
On 11 November 2019 field operator Tamarind Taranaki announced that it "may be insolvent" and put the company into administration. [9]
On 27 November Tamarind was served with an abatement notice by the Environmental Protection Authority following a small oil spill at the Tui site. [10] In 2020 the High Court ordered the Umuroa FPSO to stay connected to the oilfield [11] and was cited by Greenpeace as a reason to urgently update the regulatory regime for oil and gas. [12]
See also
References
- ^ a b Energy in New Zealand 2018. MBIE. October 2018. ISSN 2324-5913.
- ^ "Tui Area Oil Project". Tamarind Resources.
- ^ "Tui, Amokura and Pateke Reserves". Offshore Technology.
- ^ "Tamarind acquires Tui oil field in New Zealand". Tamarind Resources. 13 December 2016.
- ^ "Proposed development would extend life of Tui oil field". Radio NZ. 6 November 2018.
- ^ "Oil and gas firm Tamarind granted Taranaki consents". Stuff. 26 February 2019.
- ^ Mike Watson (17 September 2019). "Suspension of $300m offshore Taranaki drilling programme 'will cost jobs'". Stuff. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- ^ Mike Watson (15 October 2019). "Jobs at stake after Tamarind Resources end contract at offshore production facility". Stuff. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- ^ "Taranaki oil producer Tamarind 'may be insolvent', directors warn". New Zealand Herald. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
- ^ "Abatement Notice served on Tamarind Taranaki Limited". Environmental Protection Authority. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "High Court rules on Tamarind mess". www.energynewsbulletin.net. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ "Greenpeace smashes oil sector over Tamarind NZ failure". www.energynewsbulletin.net. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
39°26′35″S 173°14′10″E / 39.44306°S 173.23611°E
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