5th Jun 2006 13:07
BG GROUP plc05 June 2006 Media Information 5 June 2006 First gas from Atlantic and Cromarty North Sea development reaches UK BG Group and Amerada Hess today announced that first gas has flowed from theirjointly developed Atlantic and Cromarty fields in the Outer Moray Firth to thenewly expanded ExxonMobil SAGE terminal at St Fergus. The successful completion of this project, which only received DTI sanction in December 2003, is expected to achieve a plateau rate of 220 millionstandard cubic feet per day (mmscfd). Mark Carne, BG Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Europe andCentral Asia, said: "The successful development of the Atlantic and Cromarty fields demonstratesBG's ability to commercialise discoveries and maximise the recovery ofhydrocarbons from the UKCS wherever possible. "At a time of rising energy costs and increasing demand for gas it is essentialthat we make the most of our indigenous supplies. I am delighted that today wehave delivered a new development that will make a valuable contribution to theUK's energy needs." Robert Olsen, Chairman and Production Director, ExxonMobil International Limitedsaid: "We are pleased with the start-up of the Atlantic and Cromarty fields.Attracting such third party processing to the SAGE terminal at St Fergus hasincreased the utilisation of existing infrastructure. Production from the newdevelopment will provide an important contribution to UK gas supplies." There are matters discussed in this media information that are forward looking statements. Such statements are only predictions and actual events orresults may differ materially. For a discussion of important factors which couldcause actual results to differ from the forward looking statements, refer to theCompany's annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 December 2005. Notes to Editors: BG Group plc is a global natural gas business. Active on five continents in over20 countries, it operates four business segments - Exploration and Production,LNG, Transmission and Distribution and Power. Interests in the Atlantic and Cromarty fields: BG Amerada Hess Atlantic 75% Operator 25% Cromarty 10% 90% Operator The fields lie 12.5 kilometres apart, approximately 80 kilometres north east ofSt Fergus in the Outer Moray Firth. The Atlantic field was discovered in 1997and lies in licence block 14/26a. The Cromarty field was discovered in 1986 andlies in licence block 13/30a. The gas will be fed to the SAGE terminal for processing via the longest directto shore sub-sea tie-back constructed in the UK North Sea. The SAGE St Fergusterminal is operated by Mobil North Sea Limited (an ExxonMobil subsidiary). Onceprocessed the gas will be fed into the National Transmission System. The sub-sea facilities will be operated remotely from the control room at the StFergus SAGE terminal via a satellite link to the Shell operated Goldeneyeplatform, and then via a 32 km sub-sea electro-hydraulic umbilical to theAtlantic and Cromarty fields. BG Group operates the Armada, Maria and Seymour fields in the Central North Sea,the Blake and Atlantic fields in the Outer Moray Firth, and some of theEasington Catchment Area fields in the Southern North Sea (Neptune, Mercury,Minerva and Apollo). Enquiries: Communications +44 (0) 118 929 2462 Out of hours media mobile: +44 (0) 791 718 5707 Investor Relations Chris Lloyd/Helen Parris/ Kate Bingham +44 (0) 118 929 3025 Website: www.bg-group.com - ends - This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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