Abstract
The Fife Field situated in blocks 31/26a, 39/1, 31/27 and 39/2a (Figure 1) came on production in August 1995, with an expected field life of 4 years and reserves of 34 million barrels. The initial oil production rates from the field were prolific and in line with the field development plan, however, water production commenced soon after start-up and increased continuously in the early development wells. The impact of the water cut-development on the project economics and ultimate recovery was severely negative and as a result, an intensive sub-subsurface work programme was initiated to recover the situation.
This effort has been sustained and the field has now produced over 39 million barrels of oil. It is currently producing at 17,500 bopd. Production rates have been maintained due to the subsurface work programme, which has lead to the identification and drilling of new locations within the field. The work programme and latest wells to be drilled are described in this paper