Harbour Energy: Talbot – 50 years to develop a ‘Small Pool’

Harbour Energy: Talbot – 50 years to develop a ‘Small Pool’

Join SPE Aberdeen's Programme Committee and Harbour Energy for a panel session on the development of the Talbot field. 

Abstract

The Harbour Energy operated Talbot Field (Harbour Energy 67% WI, Ithaca Energy 33% WI) came on production in November 2024 via a subsea manifold tied back to the Judy Facility. Initially discovered by Phillips Petroleum Company 30/13-2 in 1972, the Talbot opportunity has been picked up, appraised and relinquished, prior to licence re-entry by ConocoPhillips in 2019 (30th Round). The opportunity was identified and promoted as part of the UK regulator’s ‘Small Pools’ initiative (2016).

The latest appraisal campaign (2021) successfully reduced uncertainty and eliminated economically challenged development outcomes, prior to the final investment decision and FDP approval in 2023. The subsurface understanding and characterisation were critical to bringing Talbot to development and optimising well productivity. Amplitude restoration accounting for shallow gas anomalies, improved conformance of geophysical attributes to the structural mapping, increasing confidence in HCIIP. Development of a variable/tilted free water level map accounts for differences in observed/inferred fluid contacts across the structure, providing an upside alternative to a compartmentalised reservoir. Well placement through geosteering and deployment of deep reading resistivity inversion imaging tools, provided mitigation against reservoir complexity and potential compartmentalisation.

Three geosteered production wells have been drilled along the axis of the field, placed to mitigate against early water breakthrough and potential stratigraphic complexity. Early field performance has been consistent predrill expectations. Designed to enable third-party access to Judy, Talbot infrastructure provides a route for production from two Affleck wells; stranded in 2016 following the shutdown and decommissioning of a floating production unit (FPU) to which the hydrocarbons previously flowed. The Affleck wells were successfully brought online in 2025.

The Panel

Carl Elliott is a Lead Geologist with Harbour Energy and served as the Well Team Lead through the development planning and drilling of the Talbot Field. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he commenced his career with ConocoPhillips in 2005, remaining in seat through the acquisition by Chrysaor and transformation into Harbour Energy. Currently deployed to the NOV team, Carl has worked across a spectrum of exploration, development and production geoscience roles across the North Sea.

Anna Fletcher is a Senior Geophysicist with thirteen years’ experience in the UK. She began her career at Centrica Energy, later Spirit Energy, working across their UK oil and gas and CCS portfolio. In 2022, Anna joined Harbour Energy’s J Area Paleocene and Chalk Team in the UK Central North Sea, where she was involved in the execution phase of the Talbot development. Following the successful Talbot development drilling campaign, she joined Harbour’s Viking CCS team in 2024.

Paolys Llaguno is a Lead Reservoir Engineer at Harbour Energy with nearly 30 years of experience in reservoir management, field development planning, and reserves evaluation. Her expertise spans conventional, tight gas, fractured, and heavy‑oil reservoirs across the North Sea and international assets, including Vietnam and Venezuela.

Frazer Barclay is a Senior Manager at Harbour Energy, responsible for subsurface portfolio maturation of UK operated assets. A University of Glasgow graduate in Geology and Applied Geology, he began his career with WesternGeco and later specialised in QI geophysics and reservoir characterisation at Odegaard and Schlumberger. He has led technical teams across operated and non‑operated assets through multiple mergers, including BG Group, Shell, Chrysaor, and Harbour Energy, and has worked in the UK, Malaysia, and Australia.