PI_09_21_Bohrung Bedernau 1_en.pdf - Wintershall AG

Wintershall invests in domestic oil production
17 December 2009
Katrin Rausch
New well at Arlesried / Older fields can be revitalized with innovative
technology
Bedernau/Kassel. 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 re-developed,” 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.
Bedernau’s mayor Alfons Biber was also pleased when he heard the news
of Wintershall’s return to the region. “Wintershall and our region share a
common history and the company has done a great deal for Bedernau.”
PI-09-21
Tel. +49 561 301-3301
Fax +49 561 301-1321
presse@wintershall.com
www.wintershall.com
Wintershall Holding AG
Press and Public Relations
P.O. Box 10 40 20
34112 Kassel, Germany
Phone: +49 561 301-3301
Fax: +49 561 301-1321
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Wintershall provided the community with a former well, for instance, which
is used today to source thermal water for natural spring baths. “Thus, we
would be very pleased if Wintershall were to produce oil in Bedernau
again,” the mayor said. Depending on the test results from the “Bedernau
1” exploration well, more wells could be drilled in the same field from 2011.
The crude oil from the Arlesried field is a high-quality light crude oil with a
low sulfur content. With a significant production volume, Wintershall would
consider the construction of a processing plant in Bedernau or a pipeline to
Wintershall’s production operations in Aitingen about 50 kilometers away.
Wintershall, based in Kassel, Germany, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BASF in
Ludwigshafen. The company has been active in the exploration and production of
crude oil and natural gas for over 75 years. Wintershall focuses on selected core
regions, where the company has built up a high level of regional and technological
expertise. These are Europe, North Africa, South America, as well as Russia and
the Caspian Sea region. Today, the company is Germany’s largest crude oil and
natural gas producer.
Wintershall Holding AG
Press and Public Relations
P.O. Box 10 40 20
34112 Kassel, Germany
Phone: +49 561 301-3301
Fax: +49 561 301-1321
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