Company description
With activities in the Dutch sector of the North Sea since 1965, Wintershall is the third largest gas producer in the Netherlands and operates 23 offshore platforms. In the Dutch sector of the North Sea, Wintershall was involved in nine completed exploration and appraisal wells in 2004. Four have proved new natural gas reservoirs or expanded previously discovered fields. The drilling activities at two wells are continuing into the current fiscal year. The Q5-A field was another new gas field that started production last year, and development activities on two more gas fields progressed according to schedule.
In 2004, the company has commissioned the construction of the F16-A and D12-A gas production platforms; platform F16-A is to be built near The Hague and towed into the Dutch sector of the North Sea as early as August 2005. Starting in late 2005, F16-A is to produce around four million cubic meters of gas. D12-A started production in February 2005 and produces around 3 million cubic meters of gas a day.
The Hague is home to the corporate-wide competence center for offshore technology. At this center, Wintershall is advancing its shallow water expertise, because the expansion of offshore expertise is generally gaining importance in the exploration and production of oil and gas, and the company applies this expertise to its activities in other regions of the world.