Wytch Farm

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Map sources for Wytch Farm at grid reference SY975845

Wytch Farm is an oil field and oil and natural gas processing facility in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, the largest onshore oil field in Europe. The facility, operated by BP, is hidden in a coniferous forest on Wytch Heath on the southern shore of Poole Harbour, two miles north of Corfe Castle. Oil is piped from Wytch Farm to Hamble on Southampton Water about 40 miles away.

The oil source is in the Lower Lias of the Jurassic, with extraction from the Jurassic Bridport Sands and Triassic Sherwood Sandstones. The field stretches under the Eolian clays and sands of Poole Harbour, Poole and Bournemouth, and under the Cretaceous chalk hills and Jurassic limestone and shale of the Isle of Purbeck. Most of the field is protected by various conservation laws, including the Jurassic Coast world heritage site, Purbeck Heritage Coast and a number of sites of special scientific interest, areas of outstanding natural beauty and nature reserves (including Studland and Brownsea Island), so the refinery and most of the pumps are small and well screened by trees. Directional drilling has also contributed to reducing the impact on the local environment, with extended reach drilling attaining distances in excess of 10 km.

The field was discovered in December 1973 and began producing oil in 1979, currently producing 3.40 million tonnes per year. One of the "nodding donkey" beam pumps, at Kimmeridge, has been pumping continuously since production began in 1979 and is the oldest continuously pumping well in the world. As of 2002 it is estimated that the field contains 65.40 million tonnes of oil, 4.73 million tonnes of natural gas liquids and 1.42 cubic kilometres of natural gas that will last until 2020 to 2025.