Extended Well
Tests (EWTs)
Guidance for Licensees
Date of publication 2 April 2019
Contents
Scope and Purpose of this guidance 3
Introduction 3
Definition of EWTs 4
Consent to EWTs 4
Environmental Impact Assessments 5
OGA Framework 6
Reporting 6
Extended Well Tests (EWTs) 3
Scope and Purpose of Introduction
this Guidance Under the model clauses of a licence, the consent of
the OGA is required to undertake extended well tests -
This guidance is intended for licensees planning extended periods of test production from exploration or
Extended Wells Tests (EWTs). The guidance covers the appraisal wells prior to development plan authorisation.
following: It should be noted that EWTs are not an alternative
to production under a consented Field Development
• An overview of the OGA’s objectives and Plan; the Exploration Operator (or Field Operator if
considerations relevant to EWTs one has been appointed) needs to demonstrate to
• The process leading to the consent to an EWT the OGA that the primary objective of the EWT is to
obtain essential field information to improve technical
This document provides guidance as to the OGA’s understanding or confidence in the performance of
approach to consenting to EWTs. It does not have the field to progress towards a development, and to
binding legal effect. If the OGA departs from this demonstrate that the EWT would not be prejudicial to
guidance it will explain why. ultimate recovery. There is, however, no obligation to
proceed with a development following an EWT if the
This guidance is not a substitute for any regulation or EWT demonstrates there is no MERUK opportunity.
law and is not legal advice. The OGA notes the issue of an EWT Consent does
not of itself constitute the development and production
The guidance will be kept under review and amended consent required for a licence to enter its final (usually
as appropriate in the light of further experience and third) term.
developing law and practice, and any changes to the
OGA’s powers and responsibilities. If the OGA changes
its guidance in a material way, it will publish a revised
document.
4 Extended Well Tests (EWTs)
Definition of EWTs Consent to EWTs
The OGA generally considers any well test with a total The OGA authorises EWTs by means of an “EWT
flow duration of more than 96 hours or which produces Consent”, which references the licence Model Clauses
a total of more than 2,000 tonnes of oil/oil equivalent1 allowing the getting of petroleum and, if applicable, the
to be an EWT. For oil volumes over the 2,000 tonnes flaring of gas. An EWT Consent application is made
threshold, consideration should be given to saving the online through WONS, the OGA’s Well Operations and
produced oil rather than flaring it. Notifications System2, and requires the submission of a
supporting letter of application setting out the timetable
Usually the OGA will treat the testing of discrete well and objectives of the test and the quantities of oil and
zones and side-tracks as separate well tests, although gas to be produced, saved or flared.
it may require an EWT consent to be applied for where
it considers one is appropriate. Licence operators should note that if oil and/or gas are
to be saved during the EWT, a Field Determination may
The OGA may consider long clean-up flows from be required for the field in question3. A Pipeline Works
development wells to temporary facilities to be an EWT, Authorisation may also be required for the subsea
even if there is no explicit data gathering objective. infrastructure used to carry out the EWT if produced oil
is to be saved. The OGA may also carry out a financial
capability check prior to issuing an EWT Consent4
1
For the purposes of EWTs, 1 tonne of oil is considered to be 1 tonne of oil equivalent and 43,500 scf of gas is considered to be 1 tonne of oil equivalent (conversion
factors are approximate)
2
WONS is accessed through the Energy Portal. https://www.ogauthority.co.uk/site-tools/energy-portal-guidance/#wons-2
3
https://www.ogauthority.co.uk/exploration-production/development/field-determinations/
4
See the OGA’s Financial Guidance: https://www.ogauthority.co.uk/licensing-consents/licensing-system/licensee-criteria/
Extended Well Tests (EWTs) 5
Environmental Impact Assessment
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to assess
the likely environmental impact of the proposed EWT
will be required to support the EWT application. The
Well Operator may request an EIA Direction from the
BEIS Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment
and Decommissioning (OPRED) confirming that an
Environmental Statement (ES) is not required; this
should be submitted through the Portal Environmental
Tracking System (PETS) on the UK Energy Portal.
However, OPRED may require an ES where an EWT is
undertaken over a significant period and/or involves the
flaring of a significant quantity of hydrocarbons. An ES
may also be required where the EWT is to be carried
out over a significant period in a sensitive location
e.g. close to the coast, within or adjacent to a Special
Protection Area / Special Area of Conservation / Marine
Conservation Zone / Marine Protected Area, or close
to a median line. Further guidance can be found in
the Guidance Notes on the Petroleum Production
and Pipelines (Assessment of Environmental Effects)
Regulations 19995.
In planning EWTs, Licensees should bear in mind
that should an ES be required for the EWT, this will
require formal public consultation and consultation with
relevant environmental authorities which can generally
take between three and six months.
5
https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-offshore-environmental-legislation
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/692941/
OPRED_EIA_Guidance_-_2018_Revision_4_-_22_Mar_18.pdf
6 Extended Well Tests (EWTs)
OGA Framework
EWTs and Phased Developments Reporting
The OGA may also authorise phased developments For longer EWTs, the OGA may request that the
of the type described in the OGA’s “Requirements operator provides a weekly report on the progress of
for the planning of and consent to UKCS Field the test.
Developments6”. Phased developments and EWTs
as described above have one objective in common, Once Licensees have completed their analysis of the
namely the improvement in understanding of the field. EWT data, the operator should submit to the OGA a
report fully describing the test results (including but not
However, they have different purposes and therefore limited to the total quantities of oil and gas produced,
the matters that the licence operator and the Licensees saved or flared and the durations of the flow and build
should consider when determining which application up periods) and the conclusions reached as a result of
to make, and that the OGA will consider in assessing the EWT.
whether that approach is appropriate, are as follows:
• The prime purpose of an EWT is to gain reservoir
understanding; little attention needs to be paid to
the possible final forms of development other than
to ensure that the reservoir is not being irreversibly
harmed. A phased development, in contrast, will
need to demonstrate at the outset how subsequent
phases of development could be accomplished
and how the information gathered in the first phase
would be used to help define the later phases.
• The duration of, and production from, an EWT are
set primarily by its technical objectives and, for
most tests, will be small in comparison to ultimate
field life and recovery. Within the constraint that it
should improve ultimate economic recovery, the
duration of and production from the first phase
of a phased development will be determined by
the usual development objectives and are likely
to be significant in terms of field life and recovery.
For an EWT there is no need for the facility to be
optimised beyond what is required for minimising
environmental impact and for the data collection
objective. For a phased development, the first phase
production facility should, wherever possible, be
optimised for the likely requirements of the field.
• If the Licensees consider an EWT may be required
in order to inform a Concept Select decision6 the
Exploration Operator should discuss this with the
OGA at an early stage of their project planning.
6
https://www.ogauthority.co.uk/exploration-production/development/field-development-plans/
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