TOPICS OF INTEREST
FIELD START-UP/COMMISSIONING
Production Starts From Johan Sverdrup
Phase 1 of the North Sea megaproject—Norway’s largest offshore development since the 1980s—has come on stream. Johan Sverdrup is expected to produce 660,000 BOPD at its peak.
Norway Approves Valhall West Flank Startup for Aker
Aker BP expects the unmanned facility, a further development of the Valhall field in the Norwegian North Sea, to recover 60 million BOE. Startup is expected sometime this fall.
Johan Sverdrup Startup Approved
With Norwegian authorities giving the go-ahead for startup, oil shipments from the massive Equinor-operated North Sea field could begin as soon as October, one month ahead of schedule.
Woodside Produces First Oil from Greater Enfield
Australia's largest independent has commissioned production from its $1.9 billion offshore project. Greater Enfield is expected to produce 41 MMboe for Woodside, contributing to its targeted annual production of 100 MMboe next year.
Equinor Starts Up Mariner Field in North Sea
One of the largest industrial projects in the UK in recent years, Mariner marks Equinor’s first operated field on the UK Continental Shelf. It is expected to produce 70,000 BOPD at peak rates.
Equinor Gets Green Light To Start Up Utgard
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has given clearance to start up facilities at the North Sea field, which straddles the line between the UK and Norwegian sectors. Production is set to begin in September.
Johan Sverdrup Phase 1 Nearly Complete, Startup on Target
Lundin reports that the hookup and commissioning of installed facilities at the large North Sea field is progressing as planned. Phase 1 startup is still scheduled for November.
LLOG Starts Production at Buckskin Project
Phase 1 production from the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico field is expected to reach 30,000 BOPD. The field contains an estimated 5 billion bbl of oil in place.
Shell Ships First LNG Cargo From Prelude
First cargo from the world’s largest floating LNG project comes in the midst of low LNG prices sparked by a global supply boost. Prelude is expected to produce 3.6 mtpa for Shell.
Hurricane Energy Produces First Oil From Lancaster Field
The field startup is Hurricane’s first step to actualizing its potentially considerable resources in the UK North Sea. Lancaster is expected to produce an average of 17,000 BOPD by the end of the year.
Lessons Learned From the Big Foot Mooring Incident
After suffering major setbacks, Chevron’s massive Big Foot project finally achieved first oil last November in the US Gulf of Mexico. With the setbacks in the rear-view mirror, project personnel spoke about the challenges.
Total Begins Full-Field Production at Kaombo
The startup of a second FPSO will add 115,000 BOPD to the deepwater project offshore Angola, bringing overall production capacity to 230,000 BOPD.
Bechtel Hands Over Corpus Christi LNG Train 1 to Cheniere
Commissioning is complete and Bechtel has turned over care, custody, and control of Train 1 to Cheniere, It's the first liquefaction train placed into operation in a greenfield facility in the lower 48 states.
BP Begins Gas Production From Phase 2 of West Nile Delta Project
Current production from the phase is 400 MMcf/D and expected to peak at 700 MMcf/D. A third phase also is slated to come on stream this year.
BP Trinidad & Tobago Awards EPC Contract to McDermott for Cassia Compression Project
McDermott will provide EPC, hookup, and commissioning of the Cassia C topsides, a jacket, and a bridge to link Cassia C with the existing Cassia B platform.
Apache Begins Production at Garten in UKCS
Startup comes 8 months after the initial discovery in March, marking the second successful tieback since 2017 to the Beryl Alpha platform in the UK North Sea.
BP Starts Up Thunder Horse Expansion Ahead of Schedule
The expansion is expected to boost production of the deepwater Gulf of Mexico platform by approximately 30,000 BOE/D. It is the fourth major upstream project to begin production for BP in 2018.
Equinor Announces Cost Increase, Delayed Startup for Martin Linge
The North Sea field, which holds an estimated 300 million BOE in recoverable resources, is now scheduled to start production in early 2020. Operator Equinor said the timeline was based on its assessment of the remaining scope of work on the project.
Total Begins Production at Kaombo Deepwater Project
Sanctioned in 2014, the project is the largest deepwater offshore development in Angola. It will produce an estimated 230,000 BOPD from six different fields at peak.
Shell Awards Contracts to GATE Energy, Subsea 7 for Vito
GATE will provide facility commissioning and Subsea 7 will provide a pair of infield production flowlines and the umbilical system for Shell’s recently sanctioned deepwater GOM development.
BP Starts Pair of North Sea Field Developments
Scheduled for 2020 startups, the Alligin and Vorlich Fields are expected to produce 30,000 gross BOE/D.
CNOOC Begins Production at Stampede in Gulf of Mexico
The Hess-operated field, which drew first oil in January, is expected to produce 80,000 BOPD as production ramps up this year.
Designing Subsea Systems for Efficient Startup To Mitigate Topside Downtime
The workflow aims to reduce the startup time of a subsea production system (SPS). A dynamic integrated model is used to adjust the scheduled SPS startup time. The model evaluates the dynamic simulation response of a large field startup by integrating a reservoir- and gathering-network model.
SNC-Lavalin Wins Award for Fast-Tracking of Cardon IV Facilities Project
SNC-Lavalin was recognized by the Rice Global Engineering & Construction Forum’s Award of Excellence for the fast-track installation of a 150 MMcf/D natural gas processing plant for production from the offshore Venezuela Perla field.
GATE Energy Joins Ranks of Contract Awardees for Noble’s Leviathan Project
GATE Energy is the most recent contract awardee for Noble Energy’s Leviathan project offshore Israel. It will provide the commissioning of the production platform for the megaproject.
Reliance Awards McDermott Contract for KG-D6 Subsea Development
McDermott announced a letter of award for a contract from Reliance Industries for the deepwater KG-D6 subsea field development in the Krishna Godavari Basin.
Royal Dutch Shell Aims To Deliver USD 10 Billion From New Projects by 2018
Ben Van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, said in his 2Q presentation that the Prelude FLNG is one of three projects under construction that, along with nine others recently brought on line, will deliver USD 10 billion in cash flow by 2018.
Kashagan Adds to Global Glut With Quick Production Buildup
Kashagan crude reached the global markets. The world’s most expensive upstream project restarted production and about 195,000 barrels, produced during the startup process, were shipped for export.
Project Safety is Critical in Construction and Commissioning
With events such as the BP Macondo blowout in the US Gulf of Mexico (2010) and the Pemex Ayatsil-C platform accident (June), the safety risks inherent in oil and gas projects are evident.
Innovative Solutions Enable Production Start of China’s First Marginal Subsea-Tieback Oil Field
Linhua4-1 was China’s first tieback subsea development project. To develop this marginal oil field, a number of technical challenges were overcome through a series of new technologies, and their successful development and implementation.
Planning for Initial Startup Success
The ultimate success of a deepwater project depends on phases from early concept selection, design, construction, commissioning, and startup to operation. However, the boundaries and transfer of responsibilities may not be sharply demarcated between phases.
Final Commissioning and Initial Startup Workshop
Final commissioning and initial startup was the source of lively discussion at a recent applied technology workshop held in New Orleans. A summary of key points is provided.
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