E.ON Ruhrgas UK North Sea Limited started first production from the Rita field. "The development of the Rita field is a landmark for E.ON Ruhrgas in the UK and forms a key part of our growth strategy, leveraging our operating capability," said Dr. Bernhard Reutersberg, CEO of E.ON Ruhrgas.

The field is located in the UK Southern Gas Basin in Blocks 44/21b and 44/22c. E.ON Ruhrgas UK operates the Rita field and has a 74 % equity share. Its co-venture partner GdF Suez E&P UK Limited has a 26 % equity share.

"Rita represents a resounding technical achievement, being the first dual lateral well drilled in a Carboniferous reservoir in the Southern Gas Basin," said Martin Cole, Managing Director of E.ON Ruhrgas UK. "As such, development was possible only through close cooperation between the technical and business teams within E.ON Ruhrgas."

Development approval for the Rita gas field was granted in early 2008. The field has been developed as a sub-sea development tied back via a 14 km pipeline to the E.ON Ruhrgas operated Hunter field. The highly productive Carboniferous reservoir was accessed via a dual lateral well. Each leg was drilled as a 6" hole and has a horizontal length of more than 800 metres. Gas is exported via the CMS infrastructure to the Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal on the UK East Coast, where the gas is supplied to the UK market.

Tags: E.ON Ruhrgas AG