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| Prices and technology drive 'dash' for North Sea Gas | Prices and technology drive 'dash' for North Sea Gas |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| It was a shutdown that exposed just how reliant on gas energy Britain is. | It was a shutdown that exposed just how reliant on gas energy Britain is. |
| Last Friday's temporary closure of the UK-Belgian Interconnector, one of the country's biggest import pipelines, pushed prices to an all-time high and sparked fears the nation could run out of gas. | Last Friday's temporary closure of the UK-Belgian Interconnector, one of the country's biggest import pipelines, pushed prices to an all-time high and sparked fears the nation could run out of gas. |
| This week BBC Look East has been given exclusive access to the Babbage gas platform in the Southern North Sea to find out more about the so-called "dash for gas". | This week BBC Look East has been given exclusive access to the Babbage gas platform in the Southern North Sea to find out more about the so-called "dash for gas". |
| Standing 330ft (100m) tall, the three-storey platform sits in the Babbage gas field 55 miles (88km) off the East coast. | Standing 330ft (100m) tall, the three-storey platform sits in the Babbage gas field 55 miles (88km) off the East coast. |
| Operated by E.On and named after 19th Century mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage, it cost £400m to build and is one of 153 oil and gas installations in the southern sector. | Operated by E.On and named after 19th Century mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage, it cost £400m to build and is one of 153 oil and gas installations in the southern sector. |
| For E.On it is a huge investment, but with prices so high the rewards are immense. Babbage should pay for itself long before the field runs dry in 30 years' time. | For E.On it is a huge investment, but with prices so high the rewards are immense. Babbage should pay for itself long before the field runs dry in 30 years' time. |
| Gas was first discovered here in the 1960s. Many thought renewable energy would eclipse it but gas still accounts for a third of UK consumption. | Gas was first discovered here in the 1960s. Many thought renewable energy would eclipse it but gas still accounts for a third of UK consumption. |
| Surgical precision | Surgical precision |
| This revival in the Southern North Sea is being driven by booming prices and new technology. Together they mean previously uneconomic fields are now viable. | This revival in the Southern North Sea is being driven by booming prices and new technology. Together they mean previously uneconomic fields are now viable. |
| The Babbage gas field lies two miles (3km) below the sea bed, trapped inside layers of porous sandstone. | |
| In the past it was uneconomic to extract these sorts of fields - the pressure too low, the cost too high. | In the past it was uneconomic to extract these sorts of fields - the pressure too low, the cost too high. |
| But directional drilling means these reservoirs can now be reached with almost surgical precision, with seismic data used to literally steer the drill towards the gas. | But directional drilling means these reservoirs can now be reached with almost surgical precision, with seismic data used to literally steer the drill towards the gas. |
| Meanwhile, the whole process can now be watched in real-time by a team of engineers and scientists at E.On's headquarters in London. | Meanwhile, the whole process can now be watched in real-time by a team of engineers and scientists at E.On's headquarters in London. |
| "The margin for error is slim," explained Azra Kovac, a Croatian-born geologist with E.On. | "The margin for error is slim," explained Azra Kovac, a Croatian-born geologist with E.On. |
| "Our target reservoir is only around 50ft thick. When the new data comes in we have to update continuously - almost every hour - and we need to have a good idea of where we are in the reservoir. | "Our target reservoir is only around 50ft thick. When the new data comes in we have to update continuously - almost every hour - and we need to have a good idea of where we are in the reservoir. |
| "If things change we need to tell the drillers quickly so they can change the well path." | "If things change we need to tell the drillers quickly so they can change the well path." |
| The use of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" is also allowing companies like E.On to find new reserves deep beneath the sea. | The use of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" is also allowing companies like E.On to find new reserves deep beneath the sea. |
| On land, fracking remains controversial, but it has been used offshore for many years. | On land, fracking remains controversial, but it has been used offshore for many years. |
| By pumping high-pressure chemicals and tiny ceramic pellets called proppant into the rock, seams of sandstone are opened up, allowing the trapped gas to escape. | By pumping high-pressure chemicals and tiny ceramic pellets called proppant into the rock, seams of sandstone are opened up, allowing the trapped gas to escape. |
| 'Name your price' | 'Name your price' |
| "Babbage is what we call a tight reservoir. The volume is high but the rock characteristics make it difficult to access," explained Kenneth McIntosh, E.On's frack team leader. | "Babbage is what we call a tight reservoir. The volume is high but the rock characteristics make it difficult to access," explained Kenneth McIntosh, E.On's frack team leader. |
| "Fracking allows us to access much greater areas. Instead of drilling a long hole that's, say, six inches wide, you can drill a hole and by hydraulic fracking you can open up massive fractures and fissures that are three to 400ft long. | "Fracking allows us to access much greater areas. Instead of drilling a long hole that's, say, six inches wide, you can drill a hole and by hydraulic fracking you can open up massive fractures and fissures that are three to 400ft long. |
| "They're very narrow but the surface area is magnitudes higher than by conventional techniques. So that reservoir becomes economic to produce." | "They're very narrow but the surface area is magnitudes higher than by conventional techniques. So that reservoir becomes economic to produce." |
| A crew of 20 men live and work on Babbage, flying out from Great Yarmouth on alternating two-week shifts. | A crew of 20 men live and work on Babbage, flying out from Great Yarmouth on alternating two-week shifts. |
| The lifestyle can be hard on family life. Many are on their second, or even third marriage. But this is lucrative work, particularly for those with scarce trades. | The lifestyle can be hard on family life. Many are on their second, or even third marriage. But this is lucrative work, particularly for those with scarce trades. |
| "If you're an instrument technician, you can basically name your price," said one engineer. | "If you're an instrument technician, you can basically name your price," said one engineer. |