We already have detailed geological information about the strata from which we currently extract gas. This could, subject to the necessary permissions, provide the basis for a gas store known as Albury 1 storing up to six billion cubic feet of gas.
We are currently undertaking a temporary appraisal drilling and testing programme at our existing Albury Park Wellsite. This programme will be ongoing during 2009. This temporary appraisal drilling and testing programme will enable us to determine whether there is also the potential for storage in lower strata. This Albury 2 project could involve storage of a further 24 billion cubic feet of gas.
We have already received a positive response from the Secretary of State to our preliminary submission for storage authorisation for Albury 1. In due course, this would need to be followed up with a full application.
The Albury 1 gas storage project would have several key elements:
- A gas store
in the existing underground depleted hydrocarbon reservoir at
Albury
- Drilling of four
development wells and pipeline connections at the existing Albury
Park Wellsite
- A gas processing
facility and temporary construction camp proposed adjacent to
Furze Copse, near Send Prison
- A five-mile (8.3 km) gas pipeline
from the Albury Park Wellsite to the gas processing facility (including
an associated temporary pipe store and contractor’s yard
near East Clandon)
- A further one-mile (1.8 km) gas pipeline from the gas processing facility
to the local gas grid
- An above-ground connection to the gas grid near West Horsley.
The infrastructure created for Albury 1 would substantially serve an Albury 2 project, though a longer pipeline would be needed in order to link to the national (rather than local) gas grid.
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