Offshore staff
PARIS-- Total has initiated development of the four-field CLOV project in Angola deepwater block 17. This is the company’s fourth project in the block, following Girassol, Dalia, and Pazflor.
Development drilling will start in 2012, with first oil expected in 2014.
CLOV is 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Dalia in water depths from 1,100-1,400 m (3,609-4,593 ft). The four fields – Cravo, Lirio, Orquidea, and Violeta – have combined proved and probable oil reserves estimated at around 500 MMbbl.
Total will mostly deploy technologies applied already on the previous three block 17 projects. Thirty-four subsea wells will tieback to the CLOV FPSO, which will have an oil processing capacity of 160,000 b/d and storage capacity of around1.8 MMbbl.
However, the FPSO will feature what Total describes as a unique processing and storage system, capable of treating two types of oil: one with a 32-35° API gravity from the Cravo-Lirio Oligocene reservoirs (Cravo-Lirio), and the other, more viscous, with 20-30° API gravity from the Orquidea—Violeta Miocene reservoirs.
The overall design includes measures to eliminate flaring under normal operating conditions, and to recover heat from turbine exhaust and recovering vent gases.
A large part of the project will be executed in Angola, in order to maximize local content.
Total E&P Angola operates block 17 with a 40% interest, in partnership with Statoil (23.33%), Esso Exploration Angola (20%), and BP Exploration (16.67%).
Last year Total’s operated production in Angola totalled 491,000 boe/d.
The company also operates the ultra-deep offshore block 32. Here a dozen discoveries are under review for oil production ; conceptual development studies are in progress for a first production area in the central southeastern part of the block.
Total also has a 13.6% interest in the Angola LNG project, which involves construction of a liquefaction plant near Soyo, designed to monetize the country’s currently stranded gas reserves.
This project will be supplied by the associated gas, initially from fields on blocks 0, 14, 15, 17 and 18. The plant should be onstream in 2012, and gas from CLOV will also feed into it.
08/11/2010
