Karish Main wells offshore Israel in completion phase

Jan. 29, 2020
Completions are currently being run on the three recently drilled Karish Main gas field development wells offshore Israel.

Offshore staff

ATHENS, Greece – Completions are currently being run on the three recently drilled Karish Main gas field development wells offshore Israel.

According to operator Energean, the christmas trees should be installed before the end of March, allowing the wells to be integrated with the subsea infrastructure and connected to the FPSO.

Sailaway of the FPSO’s hull from the COSCO yard in China will now start on March 31, three and a half months behind schedule. However, work on the topsides is progressing well at the Admiralty Yard in Singapore and the integrated hull and topsides should depart Singapore for Israel around year-end, with first gas expected during the first half of 2021.

During 2020, TechnipFMC will install all components of the subsea production system. The sales gas pipeline will also be laid, starting with the section close to shore in Israeli territorial waters, then heading progressively offshore toward the FPSO location. ·   

In March, Energean expects to spud the Zeus exploration well, targeting in-place gas of 600 bcf, and depending on the results, two more wildcat wells could follow later in the year.

Prospects under evaluation include Athena (0.6 tcf) and Hera (0.4 tcf), both in Israeli block 12; and Poseidon (1 tcf) in block 21.

On completion, the drillship Stena DrillMAX will be released to another operator which has lined up a three-four well campaign in the region. Thereafter, Energean intends to take the rig back for the remaining options under its contract with Stena Drilling.

The company also expects to submit an updated development plan for its Karish North discovery (0.9 tcf plus 34 MMbbl light oil).

Earlier this month the company and the Public Gas Corporation of Greece (DEPA) signed a letter of intent covering the potential purchase of 2 bcm/yr of natural gas from Energean’s fields offshore Israel through the proposed East Med Pipeline.

This would help fill the capacity of the FPSO and potentially lead to expansion of Energean’s infrastructure in Israel.

East Med, which has a proposed capacity of 10 bcm/yr, will provide a gas supply connection between Greece, Israel and Cyprus to Italy and the rest of the EU, and is currently slated for start-up by 2025, subject to a final investment decision by the pipeline’s promoter IGI Poseidon.

01/29/2020