Oilfield services company Expro has been awarded a contract to provide equipment and services to support Xcite Energy’s 90-day extended well test in the Bentley field in the North Sea.

Located in Block 9/3b, 160 km (99 miles) east of the Shetlands, the Bentley field is said to contain 116 million barrels of proven and probable reserves. Expro has been contracted to provide heavy oil well testing and data management services through drilling and completions company ADTI on the Rowan Norway jackup rig, in a contract valued at about US $12 million.

Expro has been providing extended well testing services in the North Sea and internationally since 1983.

Gary Belcher, Expro’s president of testing and production, said: “This early production or extended well test provides further data to accurately model the potential of their reservoir whilst delivering early cash flow and allowing optimization of any permanent facility designs.”