Wintershall is continuing with its investments in German crude oil production: the largest German producer of crude oil and natural gas is currently drilling the well “Bedernau 1” at the former oil field Arlesried. The aim of the exploration well, which will operate for three weeks, is to test whether the field still has areas with substantial residual oil saturation, as the re-appraisal of the field showed. Experts hope to find a deposit at a depth of about 1,500 meters which could produce crude oil for the next thirty years. Around two million tons of crude oil were produced from the crude oil production site at Arlesried between 1964 and 1995. As operator, Wintershall is drilling the well; its consortium partner with a 50 percent interest and holder of the authorization is Rhein Petroleum GmbH from Heidelberg.

Wintershall stopped production in Arlesried in 1995 because of the economic conditions at the time. However, the conditions required for restarting production have become more favorable since then: advances in reservoir simulation now allow oil-bearing strata to be identified more effectively. If the project is successful, other abandoned fields could also be revitalized. “Innovative technologies offer great potential because they can help to significantly extend the life of existing older oil fields. Former oil fields like Arlesried can be redeveloped,” Bernd Schrimpf, General Manager and Head of Wintershall’s German activities, explained.

The wholly owned BASF subsidiary invests continuously in domestic crude oil production. “Germany is the birthplace of our company, and has traditionally been the mainstay of our operations. The proportion of crude oil production in Germany is relatively low compared to overall consumption – domestic production, which totals 3.1 million tons, covers just three percent of demand in Germany. But any production on one’s own doorstep enhances supply security,” Dr. Ties Tiessen, Member of the Wintershall Board of Executive Directors and responsible for production, underlined.

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