Wietze Drilling Department

The RWE Dea Drilling Department is based at the historical site of the former oil well in Wietze. The Drilling Department is part of our Drilling and Production Engineering at our Hamburg headquarters. It is involved in up to a dozen drilling projects a year over a total distance of as much as 35 km. A total of 53 employees operate the two Company-owned drilling rigs.

One of these rigs, the T-150, is installed at the Mittelplate production island for the offshore exploitation of the Mittelplate oil field. Mittelplate is Germany`s largest oil field located in the southern part of the Wattenmeer National Park and the wells are accessed at depths of 2,200 to 3,000 m.

The second rig, the T-160, went into operation in 1997 and is one of the most powerful drilling systems in Europe. It is used to drill up to two of the 5,000 m deep gas wells in Lower Saxony each year. The electrically operated high horsepower drilling rig (output > 6,300 kilowatts) drills extended-reach wells as well as horizontal boreholes with depths of over 6,000 m.

RWE Dea T-160 rig

• Mast: Maximum hook load capacity 580 mt
• Total height: 62 m, of which substructure: 10.7 m
• Top drive: Maximum load capacity 580 mt, input horsepower: 1,000 PS
• Hoist: Input horsepower 2,500 PS
• Mud tanks: Total capacity 300 m³
• Two mud pumps: Input horsepower 2,200 PS each, maximum operating pressure 512 bar
• Electric drive: Driving power of more than 4,700 kW. Back-up power: 4 x Caterpillar, 12 cylinders 1652 PS diesel engines
  
  
  

Measures to protect the environment

The Drilling Department plans and oversees the safe and secure execution of the Company's own drilling projects as well as those implemented via joint ventures. Extensive measures to protect the environment are taken with all drilling projects.

• Sound-insulated power equipment, pumps and hoist
• Facilities to prevent water pollution at the drilling site
• Measures to prevent groundwater pollution during drilling
• Collection, removal and safe disposal of cuttings and excess drilling mud