Ramco announces successful drilling at Cork

Aberdeen based exploration and production company, Ramco energy have announced they have successfully completed drilling and testing two further wells in the Seven Heads development off the Cork coast, in the Celtic Sea.

The wells are part of a six well programme which should see the field in production before the end of the year.

Well 48/24-8 was drilled to a depth of 4,150 ft by the semi-submersible rig - Sedco 711. The well has been drilled in an area of the field where the reservoir is at a shallower depth than in the rest of the field and confirms a common gas water exists throughout the field, showing a greater column of gas bearing sands here than in previous estimates.

Steve Remp, Ramco's executive chairman has expressed delight with the increase in recoverable reserves and with the excellent progress made since receiving formal approval for the development in April this year.

Ramco have also said all the Seven Heads field partners have independently sold their gas to Innogy Ireland Ltd and that they now jointly nominated gas production for the first contract year, starting from October 1, 2003, at a gross field rate of 60m standard cubic feet per day.