NORTH AMERICA
Shell has started production from the Power Nap field in the south-central Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico. The three production wells, in up to 1,280 m (4,200 ft) of water, are tied back to the Olympus TLP via a 19-mi insulated flowline. At peak, they should deliver 20,000 boe/d for onward export through the Mars pipeline.
In the same area, Chevron and TotalEnergies have sanctioned the$1.6-billion, 150-MMbboe Ballymore oil and gas field development, 160 mi (260 km) southeast of New Orleans in 6,600 ft (2,000 m) water depth. This is Chevron’s first development in the Norphlet trend of the US Gulf. Three subsea wells will be tied back via a single flowline to the Chevron-operated Blind Faith FPU, producing up to 75,000 b/d. Start-up is scheduled for 2025.
Genesis Energy plans to construct a new 105-mi (1690km) pipeline in the deepwater US GoM to connect to an existing field development, and expand the capacity of the 380-mi (611-km) Cameron Highway Oil Pipeline System that extends along the outer continental shelf. This follows recent agreements to transport crude from two deepwater developments, due to come onstream late 2024 or in 2025, with combined production of 160,000 b/d.
***
Mexico’s Energy Ministry has issued the final unitization resolution for the Zama oilfield offshore Mexico, confirming Pemex as operator. Zama, discovered by Talos Energy in Block 7 in 2017, was later shown to extend into an adjacent block operated by Pemex. Following the government’s decision, Talos will retain a 17.35% interest in the project and expects the partners to take a final investment decision in 2023.
CARIBBEAN SEA/SOUTH AMERICA
Shell has produced first gas from the Colibri development in Block 22 offshore Trinidad and Tobago. Four subsea gas wells, which will produce close to 250 MMcf/d at peak, are tied back to the Poinsettia platform in the North Coast Marine Area.
Subsea 7 has started the FEED for a construction campaign in up to 280 ft (85 m) of water for bp’s TOPR project off Trinidad and Tobago. The work scope includes installation of a 96-km (60-mi), 12-in. pipeline, diver tie-in spools and the associated shore approach.
***
Colombia’s National Hydrocarbon Agency (ANH) has authorized PGS to reprocess 2D seismic of varying vintages over the country’s Pacific offshore area. PGS, in partnership with Servicio Geologico Colombiano, will apply modern imaging techniques to form a new regional Tumaco basin dataset, covering most of the Tumaco offshore region and designed to de-risk exploration in the area.
***
ExxonMobil and its partners in the Stabroek block off Guyana have discovered three more fields, all southeast of the Liza and Payara developments. Early indications suggest that the Barreleye, Lukanani and Patwa finds have lifted recoverable resources across the block to around 11 BBoe.
Earlier, ExxonMobil contracted SBM Ofshore to construct, install, lease and operate the FPSO One Guyana for Yellowtail, the fourth deepwater project on the block, around 200 km (124 mi) offshore. The vessel will produce 250,000 b/d of oil, with gas treatment capacity of 450 MMcf/d, water injection of 300,000 b/d, and 2 MMbbl crude storage. It will be spread moored in 1,800 m (5,906 ft) water depth. TechnipFMC will supply the subsea production system, including 51 enhanced vertical deepwater trees, 12 manifolds and six HP/HT flexible risers.
***
Petrobras has started first-phase production from the Mero field in the Libra block in Brazil’s pre-salt Santos basin, over 150 km from the Rio de Janeiro coast. The FPSO Guanabara MV31, constructed by MODEC, is designed to produce 180,000 b/d of oil and 12 MMcf/d of gas, with facilities for water alternating gas (WAG) injection. Three further floaters with similar production capacity should start up on Mero between 2033 and 2025.
In the Campos basin, Petrobras and partner Equinor have brought online the first two wells of an Increased Oil Recovery (IOR) development at the Roncador field. Their combined output of 20,000 boe/d will lift production through the FPSO P62 to around 150,000 boe/d. In total, the partnership is drilling 18 wells to recover a further 160 MMbbl. Roncador produced first oil in 1999.
Petrobras and bp have proven a new deepwater oilfield in the pre-salt southern Campos basin, 230 km (143 mi) offshore Rio de Janeiro. Well 1-BRSA-138A-RJS was drilled in 1,833 m (6,014 ft) of water on the Alto de Cabo Frio central block.
***
Navitas Petroleum and Rockhopper Exploration have signed documents that lays the basis for a new technical and financing plan for development of the Sea Lion area in the offshore North Falkland basin. Navitas will acquire Premier Oil (operator of the associated licenses) from Harbour Energy, and will fund the majority of Rockhopper’s share of costs for Sea Lion’s initial phase via a loan, up to FID.
WEST AFRICA
New Age (African Global Energy) and its partners have moved closer to developing their gas discoveries in the Etinde permit in the Rio del Rey basin offshore Cameroon. They have decided the optimum approach would be to send wet gas from the IM wellhead platform south through pipeline infrastructure to the Bioko Island processing complex offshore Equatorial Guinea. They would also add new pipeline infrastructure to take the processed gas back to Cameroon, subject to approvals from the two governments.
***
Eni has more than trebled its estimate of the potential at its Ndungu oil discovery, 130 km (81 mi) offshore Angola and 10 km (6.2 mi) from the FPSO Ngoma at the West Hub development in Block 15/06. Data from the Ndungu 2 appraisal well, which encountered oil in lower Oligocene reservoirs, 5 km (3.1 mi) from the discovery well, suggests in-place resources could be 800-1,000 MMboe.
NORTH SEA
ConocoPhillips Skandinavia has submitted a plan for the $1.2-billion Eldfisk North development in the southern Norwegian North Sea, targeting recovery of up to 90 MMboe more from the Eldfisk field. Three subsea production systems housing nine producer and five water injector wells will be tied back 7 km (4.3 mi) to the Ekofisk production complex, with first oil anticipated in 2024.
***
Hibiscus Petroleum and Ithaca Energy are working with an alliance of Repsol Sinopec Resources UK, TechnipFMC and Petrofac on tieback options for the Marigold oil and gas field in the UK central North Sea. The favored concept involves drilling up to nine subsea wells, exporting production 16 km (10 mi) for processing at the Repsol Sinopec Resources-operated Piper B platform. At peak, Marigold would produce 40,000 b/d of oil, all exported to the Flotta terminal in Orkney.
Also in the UK sector, bp is preparing to invest up to $22.5 billion in various offshore projects over the next eight years. Some entail further development around the ETAP hub in the central UK North Sea and around the producing Clair and Schiehallion fields west of Shetland. In addition, bp plans exploration close to its North Sea hubs and electrification of assets in the central sector and Shetland area.
EASTERN EUROPE/EAST MEDITERRANEAN
ExxonMobil has agreed to sell its E&P subsidiary in Romania to Romgaz for over $1 billion. The assets include the deepwater Domino gas field discovery in the Black Sea, which the company drilled in 2012. ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania’s operatorship of the offshore XIX Neptun block will transfer to partner OMV Petrom.
***
Energean has discovered gas in the Athena prospect in the Israeli sector of the Mediterranean Sea. The well, drilled on Block 12 by the drillship Stena IceMAX in 1,769 m (5,804 ft) of water, penetrated a gross 156-m (521-ft) hydrocarbon column. Early analysis suggests 51 MMboe recoverable via a tieback to the Energean Power FPSO, 20 km (12.4 mi) away. The completed vessel recently sailed from Singapore to the offshore location.
MIDDLE EAST
TGS and Schlumberger have started the second-phase acquisition of a new 3D seismic survey in the Red Sea, offshore Egypt, covering a minimum of 5,000 sq km (1,930 sq mi). The long-offset data will be processed using pre-stack depth migration for sub-salt imaging. Final products should be made available in mid-2023 ahead of future licensing rounds in the region.
***
Searcher Seismic will acquire new 2D and 3D seismic offshore/onshore Oman during 2022-23, and reprocess legacy data, in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals. The company plans to apply modern broadband processing sequences with multiple removal technologies to improve imaging of Oman’s offshore subsurface, which is thought to hold significant oil potential.
FAR EAST
PTTEP has become official operator of the GI/61 concession in the Gulf of Thailand, previously developed and operated by Chevron. It includes the Erawan, Funan, Platong and Sunan fields. The company plans a major ramp-up of gas production to 800 MMcf/d by April 2024, adding eight new wellhead platforms, 183 production wells and associated subsea pipelines. It also aims to raise gas output from its Bongkot field in G2/61 in the Gulf by around 125,000 MMcf/d.
***
Petronas has awarded two new production-sharing contracts offshore Malaysia. SK earthon will operate Block SK427 off Sarawak in partnership with Petroleum Sarawak Exploration & Production. The concession is in a proven hydrocarbon system, with various discoveries drilled last year nearby in the Balingian province. PTTEP HKO will operate Block SB412 northwest of Sabah, in partnership with SapuraOMV.
***
CNOOC has brought onstream three new field developments offshore China. Two are in Bohai Bay: the Luda 5-2 oilfield north phase 1 project in Liadong Bay features one thermal recovery wellhead platform and one production platform, connected to processing facilities serving the Suizhong 36-1 oilfield. The company plans to drill 26 producers, delivering 8,200 b/d at peak in 2024. For the Kenli 6-1 oilfield 4-1 block development in southern Bohai, a new wellhead platform linked to facilities serving the Bozhong 34-9 oilfield will produce around 4,000 b/d via seven producer and five water injector wells.
In the Beibu Gulf region of the South China Sea, the Weizhou 12-8E oilfield development in 30 m water depth will eventually have six producer wells and one produced water reinjector, connected to the Weixinan oilfields complex.
AUSTRALIA
The Federal Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources has appointed Petrofac as outsourced operator to complete Phase 1 of decommissioning of the FPSO Northern Endeavour offshore northern Australia, following the liquidation of its owners in 2020. The vessel is moored between the Corallina and Laminaria oilfields, 550 km (342 mi) northwest of Darwin. Petrofac will disconnect it from the subsea equipment and temporarily suspend the wells. Two subsequent decommissioning phases will focus on permanent P&A, removal of subsea facilities, and remediation of the two fields.
