Williams has commissioned a new production-handling platform in federal waters, 60 mi south of Mobile Bay, Alabama. Gas production in 35,000 acres of federal leases is dedicated to the platform. Construction of Williams' Canyon Station -- a fixed-Ieg platform in 300 ft of water in East Main Pass block 261 -- was completed on schedule at the end of June. The facility will treat, process, and handle natural gas and gas liquids from 10 subsea deepwater wells 55 mi away in the Camden Hills, Kings Peak, and Aconcagua fields in 5,000-7,200 ft of water. All subsea well monitoring, flow control, and chemical injection will be done from Canyon Station. Paragon Engineering is providing flow assurance for the eight- wells. The platform is capable of 500 MMcf/d. Operators are TotalFinaElf, Marathon., and BP. They're linked to the Canyon Express gathering system, which is operated by TotalFinaElf and jointly owned by Marathon, BP, Pioneer Natural Resources, and Nippon Oil Exploration. The new platform will be fed by two, 12-in. diameter flow lines owned by the Canyon Express producers. The lines are expected to be complete within the next two months, allowing first delivery through the platform in September.
