Total Starts Up Taps at Pazflor Field

- Total Starts Up Taps at Pazflor Field

Friday, August 26, 2011
Total
by SubseaIQ

Total, operator of Block 17, announced that the giant Pazflor field offshore Angola has come on stream ahead of the initial schedule. The Pazflor field lies 150 kilometers off Luanda in water depths ranging from 600 to 1,200 meters and has estimated proved and probable reserves of 590 million barrels. The field will gradually ramp up to its full production capacity of 220,000 barrels per day over the coming months.

"Pazflor's start-up, several weeks ahead of schedule and within budget, is a remarkable achievement of the teams involved. The support and trust of Sonangol, our concession holder and partner, also made an invaluable contribution to our efficiency," said Yves-Louis Darricarrère, President Exploration & Production at Total. "Pazflor required a development effort on the same scale as the field. Paving a way with new technologies, the project showcases Total's expertise in highly complex environments. The project facilities have been designed and thoroughly tested in accordance with the strictest health, safety and environmental standards. This is another step in the ongoing saga of our deep offshore feats, begun right here in Angola. Deepwater developments are a core driver of our future production growth."

Pazflor comprises a vast subsea gathering network, the most complex ever built in Angola: 180 kilometers of lines tying in 49 subsea wells, 10,000 metric tons of subsea equipment and the giant Pazflor floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. Held in position by 16 subsea mooring connectors, with its 325 meters long, 62 meters wide and a weight of more than 120,000 metric tons, the FPSO is the largest in the world. It can store up to 1.9 million barrels of oil that is then exported to tankers via an offloading buoy. The associated gas is reinjected into the reservoir, but could also be exported to the Angola LNG plant once the latter becomes operational.

A key technical challenge was producing two very different grades of oil from four separate reservoirs. Producing the heavy, viscous oil from the three Miocene reservoirs, which account for two-thirds of the reserves, and the related flow assurance constraints, represented a major challenge. The gas has to be separated from the liquids on the seabed so that the viscous liquids can then be pumped to the surface. The design and installation of subsea gas-liquid separation units and pumps are a world first on this scale. The pumps were purpose designed and tested for Pazflor.

Total's wholly owned subsidiary Total E&P Angola operates Block 17, with a 40% interest, while Sonangol is the concession holder. The other partners are Statoil ASA (23.3%), Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited (20%) and BP Exploration (Angola) Ltd (16.67%).

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BHP Billiton First to Start Up Taps in GOM since Moratorium

- BHP Billiton First to Start Up Taps in GOM since Moratorium

Tuesday, June 07, 2011
BHP Billiton plc

BHP Billiton Petroleum announced that it is the first company in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico to bring a newly drilled well into production since the moratorium was enacted in May 2010. The well was brought into production on May 30, 2011 on the BHP Billiton operated Shenzi field.

The SB-201 well was drilled to a total measured depth of 25,126 feet and is currently producing approximately 17,000 barrels of oil per day. This is the eleventh producing well within the Shenzi field and our ongoing development program will ensure that this operated tension-leg platform (TLP) remains a significant contributor to BHP Billiton's high value, Gulf of Mexico production.

BHP Billiton Petroleum Chief Executive, J. Michael Yeager, said, "We are pleased to be able to demonstrate that deepwater drilling and production can resume in a safe and reliable manner. Our organization has worked very hard over the past several months with regulators to have the ability to resume drilling operations and add new production to our deepwater Gulf of Mexico portfolio."

BHP Billiton Petroleum also received approval and began drilling a second deepwater production well (SB-101) on the Shenzi field on June 2, 2011.

The Shenzi facility is located approximately 120 miles (195 kilometers) off the Louisiana coastline and is installed in approximately 4,300 feet (1,300 meters) of water on Green Canyon Block 653, making it the second deepest TLP in the world. The overall field comprises four blocks: Green Canyon 609, 610, 653 and 654.

BHP Billiton Petroleum is the operator with 44 percent equity. Joint interest participants are Hess Corporation and Repsol, each with 28 percent equity.

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Statoil Starts Up Taps at Peregrino Field

Statoil Starts Up Taps at Peregrino Field

Monday, April 11, 2011
Statoil

Last week Statoil started oil production at the large Peregrino field offshore Brazil. Production will gradually ramp up to a plateau of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The move makes Statoil an important long-term operator and partner in Brazil's attractive and growing oil and gas industry.

"We are proud to announce the safe and efficient start-up of Statoil's largest international operatorship to date. The project team and our partners have done an excellent job in delivering a complex project according to the plan and below costs .

With the Peregrino field in full operation Statoil will be the second-largest operator in Brazil, and it offers us an excellent opportunity for future growth in the country.

The Peregrino field is a legacy asset and will contribute significantly to both Statoil and Brazil's oil production for many years to come," said Helge Lund, president and CEO of Statoil.

The Peregrino field is located 85 kilometers offshore Brazil in the Campos basin at about 100 meters of water depth in licenses BMC-7 and BMC-47.

The first phase of the development includes two drilling and wellhead platforms and a large floating production, storage and offload unit (FPSO). A total of 37 wells are planned, all of them using advanced horizontal well technology to maximize recovery.

The field contains 300 to 600 recoverable million barrels of oil equivalents, with a significant yet-to-find potential. An exploration well is currently being drilled at Peregrino South to explore this potential. Following completion of this well, one additional well will be drilled in the area.

Statoil's country manager in Brazil, Kjetil Hove, commented that the start up of production at Peregrino is an important milestone for the company, "The development and start up is the result of very competent colleagues' tireless efforts and excellent cooperation with partners and authorities. We now look forward to continue working with our Brazilian partners to run safe and reliable operations and to unlock the resource potential of the larger Peregrino area."

"The Peregrino field showcases our project management, execution and subsurface and reservoir management skills. We are using our experience gained at the Norwegian continental shelf to share competence and experience and to create value locally in Brazil," added Hove.

The field was discovered in 1994. Statoil acquired a 50% stake in the discovery in 2005, and the remaining 50% and its operatorship in 2008. The Peregrino development plan was approved by the Brazilian authorities in 2007.

In May 2010 Statoil sold a 40% stake of the Peregrino field to the Sinochem Group. Statoil holds 60% ownership and the operatorship of the field and Sinochem the remaining 40%. The closing of the transaction is pending governmental approvals.

Texon Turns on Taps at Leighton Olmos Well

Texon Turns on Taps at Leighton Olmos Well

Friday, April 08, 2011

Global Petroleum Ltd.

Texon has advised that that the eighth Leighton Olmos well in which Global has an interest, Peeler #2, has begun to flow oil and gas at the gross rate of 252 boepd from the Olmos reservoir (comprising 192 bopd and 360 mcf of gas per day).

Texon advise that Peeler #2 will be connected to oil tanks and a gas sales pipeline in the next two weeks.

Global has a 15% working interest (11.25% net revenue interest) in the well.