Undertaken as part of the Quad204 development, the wells will be drilled by Odfjell Drilling’s Deepsea Aberdeen semi-submersible rig.
BP is the operator of both the fields with a 50% stake in Loyal and 33.35% in Schiehallion.
Shell holds the remaining interest in Loyal, and is also the majority stakeholder in Schiehallion with 54.89%. OMV is the third stakeholder in Schiehallion.
The Deepsea Aberdeen will drill two producer wells and one injector well on Loyal, and then shift to Schiehallion.
The current program involves drilling of five wells. First oil from the new Glen Lyon floating, production, storage and offload (FPSO) vessel is expected by the end of 2016.
Glen Lyon will arrive in the North Sea in 2016, and its installation is part of Quad204.
BP North Sea business regional president Trevor Garlick said: "The drilling campaign not only demonstrates our commitment to the region in what is a challenging time, but will also help maximize production from Schiehallion and Loyal, contributing to the long term competitiveness of BP’s North Sea business."
BP and its partners launched the £3bn Quad 204 project in 2011, to re-develop the Schiehallion and Loyal fields.
The Quad204 development intends to access the remaining 450 million barrels of oil and extend production at the fields to 2035. The two fields have so far produced 400 million barrels of oil since 1998.
Image: Deepsea Aberdeen semi-submersible rig. Photo: courtesy of BP.
