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Castello, east of Milan, is the first Company's gas field in commercial production. The field was drilled in 2005 at a location updip from the former ENI Agnadello well, which produced 13 billion cubic feet of gas (bcf) over a period of five years in the 1980s.
The Castello gas field was successfully tested by Po Valley in Vitalba #1 well over two gas bearing levels early in 2006. Flow rate testing of the two levels, San A1 and San A2, produced flows of 2.8 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d) on a 1/4 " choke.
The field will be a single well development connected to the grid some 800 metres away. Environmental approval was granted during March 2008 and the Company was awarded a 20-year production concession in November 2008.
The surface gas treatment plant contract was awarded to Semat of Italy and installation approval has been granted at the end of June. Semat completed site activities and civil and mechanical works, commissioning period commenced in October and the surface gas production plant connected to the Italian pipeline grid.
The Company brought the surface gas treatment plant on-stream the 17th December 2009.
The plant is currently outputting 50.000 cubic metres of gas per day, but the rate will be incrementally increased to around to approximately 70.000 cubic metres per day.
The Company celebrated the milestone with a formal plant inauguration ceremony led by Australia's Ambassador to Italy Amanda Vanstone and senior personnel from Italy's Ministry of Economic Development and a delegation of local authorities, including the Major of Rivolta d'Adda town and the President of Cremona province. (See photogallery)
The inauguration of the Castello plant represents the first new hydrocarbon production plant in northern Italy's Po Valley region since the end in 1998 of the country's energy monopoly by ENI-AGIP and the liberalisation of the Italian gas market.
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