PGK monthly meeting

Our guest speaker will be Willem-Jan Plug (Taqa) and he will give a talk about: “Bergermeer underground gas storage – Past present and future”.

Program:
17:00-18:00 hrs: Social hour
18:00-19:00 hrs: Lecture

Abstract:

TAQA Energy operates Gas Storage Bergermeer, Europe’s largest open-access gas storage and located close to the city of Alkmaar. The Bergermeer reservoir is characterized by excellent Permian sands in the Weissliegend and Rotliegend intervals, with a GIIP of 16.8 BCM. The field was discovered in the late 60’s and taken into production in 1972 and over 15 BCM of gas has been recovered until 2007. From 2007 the reservoir was being transformed into a gas storage, starting with the injection of cushion gas. Between 2012 and 2015 the construction of the gas storage took place.  Fourteen new gas storage and one water injection were drilled and a newly build processing facility is connected to the well-site via an 8.5 km long 30” pipeline.  In 2015 the Bergermeer Gas Storage became operational, having an injection capacity of 42 million Nm3/d and a production capacity of 57 million Nm3/d. The associated working gas volume is 4.1 BCM.

During the depletion period 1972-2007, seismicity was observed in 1994 (M=3.1) and 2001 (M=3.5). The design of the Bergermeer Gas Storage and the day-to-day operations are based on the reservoir management system to prevent induced seismicity. For safe gas storage operations, a permanent down hole micro-seismic array monitoring system has been installed in 2011. Subsidence during the depletion phase of the field was measured and surface heave during the storage cycles is measured continuously.
A 3D state of the art geomechanical model has been developed and calibrated with field data to understand the geomechanical behavior of the reservoir during its full lifetime comprising the depletion stage, the current operations and the future plans to increase the working volume.