E&P Highlights: Feb. 27, 2023

From a lease sale in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to PSA’s leak-related order for Equinor, below is a compilation of the latest headlines in the E&P space. 

Activity headlines

BP picks gravity-based structure for GTA2

BP and its partners will evaluate a gravity-based structure as the basis for the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) LNG project offshore Mauritania and Senegal, BP announced on Feb. 27.

Gravity-based structure LNG developments have a static connection to the seabed with the structure providing LNG storage and a foundation for liquefication facilities. The concept design will also include new wells and subsea equipment, integrating with and expanding on existing GTA infrastructure.

The partnership will consider powering LNG liquefication using electricity to help drive operational emissions lower. BP and its partners are working with contractors to progress the concept towards the pre-FEED stage.

The GTA Phase 2 (GTA2) expansion project in 2,850 m water depth is expected to have a throughput capacity between 2.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) and 3 mtpa. GTA Phase 1, which is currently under development, will export gas to an FPSO approximately 40 km offshore where the gas will be processed and liquids separated, before exporting gas onward to floating LNG facilities 10 km offshore. It is expected to produce around 2.3 million tonnes of LNG per year when operations begin later this year. The FPSO left the COSCO shipyard in China in January, sailing toward the West African field. 

BP operates GTA and GTA2 on behalf of partners PETROSEN, Société Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures and Kosmos Energy.

GoM Lease Sale 259 set for March 29 

The next Gulf of Mexico lease sale will be on March 29, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced on Feb. 24. 

Through Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 259, BOEM will offer about 13,600 blocks covering 73.3 million acres in the western, central and eastern planning areas in the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.

BOEM must receive bids via FedEx, UPS, U.S. Postal Service or DHL by 10 a.m. Central Daylight Time on March 28, 2023, and bid opening and reading will begin at 9 a.m. Central Daylight Time on March 29.

A map of the lease sale area and instructions for bidding are available here.

Contracts and company news

Baker Hughes, AWS team up managing production

Baker Hughes announced on Feb. 27 it had signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop, market and sell the cloud-based Leucipa automated field production solution.

The solution is designed to allow operators to manage field production. According to AWS, Leucipa combines AWS cloud capabilities with Baker Hughes’ industry expertise in a solution that enables scalable, automated and data-driven oil and gas production.  

Baker Hughes and AWS will continue to collaborate to add new capabilities to the Leucipa automated field production. 

PSA issues order on May 2022 Statfjord B leaks

The Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA) said on Feb. 23 it had completed its investigation of gas leaks on the Equinor-operated Statfjord B facility from May 23, 2022, and that the investigation identified “serious breaches” of the regulations.

The leaks came from holes in a pair of pipelines used for blowdown or pressure relief, and the leaks were estimated to have had initial rates of 0.52/kg and 0.57 kg/second respectively, with a total emission of about 285 kg of export gas. The facility was shut down with no significant damage except to the blowdown lines, and no personnel were injured.

The direct cause of the leaks was external corrosion and consequent loss of integrity, according to the PSA. Both pipes were probably corroded through before the incident occurred. The PSA further cited failure to carry out maintenance as a crucial factor and that the investigation indicated a number of reasons why the necessary maintenance was not executed.

Due to the serious breaches of regulations, the investigation found, PSA has ordered Equinor to ensure maintenance of hydrocarbon pipes in carbon steel on Statfjord B so that they are able to perform their demanding functions in all phases of production life by June 1.

Anning, Somerville EPIC contracts to be let in 3Q

Hartshead Resources NL announced on Feb. 24 the launch of the pre-qualification process for the Anning and Somerville gas fields platform and jacket engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning (EPIC) contracts.

The Phase I development FEED and geotechnical site survey of the platform locations for the Anning and Sommerville gas fields in the U.K. Southern Gas Basin is scheduled to be complete in April 2023.

The operator said it expects to award the platform and jacket EPIC contracts in the third quarter of 2023. 

OMV may sell Asia-Pac E&P assets

OMV announced Feb. 27 it would explore the possibilities of selling its E&P assets in the Asia-Pacific region, including its 50% stake in SapuraOMV Upstream Sdn. Bhd. in Malaysia and its wholly owned OMV New Zealand Ltd. The potential divestment aims at optimizing the E&P portfolio in line with the OMV Strategy 2030, the company said in a press release.

Fugro opens remote operations hub in Canada

Fugro launched its new remote operations center in St. John’s, Canada, on Feb. 22. The new communications center reduces the number of crew required to work offshore while providing data processing in near-real time, the company said.

Fugro built the center with support from the federally funded Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Oil and Gas Industry Recovery Assistance Fund. The fund was created to maximize employment among Newfoundland and Labrador residents and support the recovery of the local offshore oil and gas industry.

Subsea7 announced on Feb. 24 that Petrobras had awarded it a contract for the Seven Cruzeiro pipelay support vessel for operations offshore Brazil. The deal extends the Seven Cruzeiro’s contract from February 2023 to November 2023.

The contract is valued between $50 million and $150 million.