This year’s Top 5
Eldon Ball • Houston
The editors ofOffshore have made their choices for the winners of the Five Star Award – the top five offshore field development projects for 2009 -- and proudly announce the winners in this issue.
The projects are selected on the basis on best use of innovation in production method, application of technology, and resolution of challenges, along with safety, environmental protection, and project execution. In no particular order, the top five offshore field development projects for 2009 are:
Tahiti
When the Chevron-operated Tahiti development began production in 2Q 2009 as the deepest field in the Gulf of Mexico, it secured a place onOffshore’s Top 5 projects list. The fact that the $2.7-billion first phase of the project consists of six subsea wells in two drill centers, including the deepest producing well in the GoM at more than 26,700 ft (8,138 m) connected to a spar floating production system cemented the recognition.
Gene Kliewer, Technology Editor, Subsea & Seismic, beginning on page 32.
Tombua-Landana
Located in approximately 1,200 ft (366 m) of water in block 14 offshore Angola, Chevron’s $3.8 billion Tombua-Landana development project is expected to achieve peak production of 100,000 b/d of crude oil in 2011.
Recoverable resources for the two fields are estimated at some 350 MMbbl. The 46-well project comprises a 1,554-ft (474-m) compliant piled tower, one of the world’s tallest manmade structures.
John Waggoner, Technology Editor, Drilling & Production, beginning on page 40.
Thunder Horse
As an energy resource, Thunder Horse holds the potential to produce around 1 Bbbl of oil, says operator BP. Since production began in 2008, a total of eight subsea producing wells have been put into operation, with more planned for 2010 and beyond. Today, the field is the largest deepwater producing asset in the world and has an expected life of 25-30 years.
Although first production occurred in June 2008, the editors ofOffshore selected Thunder Horse for recognition this year since many details of the project were not revealed until early 2009.
John Waggoner, Technology Editor, Drilling & Production, beginning on page 26.
BC-10
Production started on July 13 at Shell’s multi-field Parque das Conchas (called BC-10 in its early days) project 110 km (68 mi) off Brazil’s southeast coast. Production is via the FPSOEspirito Santo in the BC-10 field in the Campos basin, according to the BC-10 Joint Venture, which is operated by Shell with ONGC Campos and Petrobras as partners.
Parque das Conchas is a two-phase project with initial production drawn from three fields: Abalone, Ostra, and Argonauta B-West. Shell executed a host of new and advanced technologies to meet the project’s many challenges, among them water depth and oil viscosity.
Gene Kliewer, Technology Editor, Subsea & Seismic, beginning on page 34.
Tyrihans
Statoil’s Tyrihans is the largest-scale new subsea development this year in the Norwegian sector. The project came on stream this July, on schedule, almost three and a half years after gaining government approval. It is the first tieback to the high-pressure/high-temperature Kristin complex in the Norwegian Sea, also making extensive use of the Aasgard export and injection facilities.
Among the stand-out features of this project, either completed or to come, are a novel installation method for the subsea production structures; new techniques for subsea raw seawater pumping and power distribution; and a direct electrical heating system for the long-distance production pipeline.
Jeremy Beckman, Editor, Europe, beginning onpage 36.
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