Premier Oil is developing the Bison, Iguana and Gajah Puteri (BIGP) oil and gas fields in the Natuna Sea offshore Indonesia to increase gas supplies to consumers in Indonesia and Singapore.

“The Indonesian government formally approved the project in October, and all major contracts have now been awarded. Premier is targeting first gas in 2019 to backfill our existing Singapore and domestic market contracts,” Premier Oil said in an operational update.

Operator Premier Oil Natuna Sea BV has launched preconstruction works to develop the three oil and gas fields located in Block A as subsea tiebacks to the producing Gajah Baru and Anoa fields.

First gas is projected to be achieved in third-quarter 2019.

The offshore block is located in the Natuna Basin in the northwest part of Indonesia, near its maritime border with Malaysia and Vietnam.

Development Plan

The plan involves development of three subsea wells each at the BIGP fields in a water depth of about 80 m (262 ft), with subsea pipelines tied back to the existing Pelikon and AGX central processing platforms (CPPs).

Oil and gas produced from Bison and Iguana will be flowed respectively through 8-km (5-mile) and 6-km (4-mile) pipelines to the Pelikan platform before being channeled to the Gajah Baru CPP facility for processing. Output from Gajah Puteri will be transported via a 42-km (26-mile) pipeline to the AGX platform with a control system from Naga platform.

The existing Pelikan, Naga and AGX wellhead platforms and the Gajah Baru CPP will be restructured to receive supplies from the three fields.

The project’s engineering and related equipment contracts have been awarded. The operator signed engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contracts with PT Timas Suplindo for development of the production facilities for the three fields, while Proserv was contracted to deliver a subsea control system and related equipment.

S2V Consulting carried out the FEED for the subsea controls and umbilicals required for the development. GE Oil & Gas won the contract for the project’s subsea trees and wellheads.

The BIGP project is expected produce up to 60 million standard cubic feet per day of gas and about 1,100 bbl/d of condensate.

Gajah Puteri is estimated to contain about 4.2 Bcm (150 Bcf) of gas, while Bison and Iguana are believed to hold about 1.6 Bcm (57 Bcf) and about 82 MMcm (29 Bcf), respectively, according to a certified gas reserves estimate.

The Gajah Puteri discovery is considered to be an elongated, westward-plunging, moderately faulted anticline with a three-way dip closure located south-southeast of the producing Anoa Field. Pay is found in channel sands of the Lower Arang and Gabus formations.

Supplies To Singapore

Premier Oil is developing the three gas fields to support gas supplies committed to consumers in Singapore and Indonesia as part existing and future gas supply contracts.

Development of the fields will allow the operator increased operational flexibility, the ability to supply additional volumes to meet growing market share within existing contracts and provide an opportunity to respond to increased Singapore or domestic gas demand.

The company is supplying about 200 billion Btu per day (BBtu/d) from its four fields—Anoa, Pelikan, Gajah Baru and Naga—to consumers in Singapore through a 540-km (336-mile), 28-in. diameter West Natuna Transportation System under two long-term gas sales agreements.

The operator also is committed to supply an additional 40 BBtu/d to power generation plants on Indonesia’s Batam island.

Block A has more undeveloped discoveries, including Lama, Macan Tutul, Lembu Peteng and Lukah. They are to be commercialized after development of the BIGP project.

The offshore concession is estimated to have more than 56.6 Bcm (2 Tcf) of gas reserves.

Premier Oil is the operator of the field with a 28.67% participating interest in Block A. The other partners are Petronas (15%), PTT Exploration and Production and Pertamina (23%) and Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co. (33.33%).

—Ravi Prasad