Production has ramped up on schedule in the Red Hawk field in the Garden Banks area of the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) using the world’s first cell spar facility, according to Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp., which operates the field and is joint owner with Devon Energy Corp. The development, located in 5,300 feet of water on Garden Banks 877, has an estimated resource base of 250 Bcf.

The facility, completed 24 months after it was sanctioned, is Kerr-McGee’s deepest development to date, and is expected to ramp up to a peak of 120 MMcf/d in early August when the second well is on production.

“Red Hawk, which is Kerr-McGee’s fifth operated deepwater hub in the Gulf, is consistent with our strategy of creating hubs in core areas to provide infrastructure for the economic development of future discoveries,” said Dave Hager, Kerr-McGee senior vice president responsible for oil and gas exploration and production. “Our core area strategy has proven successful at our deepwater Neptune, Nansen, Boomvang and Gunnison hubs, with satellite discoveries and third-party processing adding significant value to these developments.”

The cell spar, a floating production facility, is the third generation of the spar systems, all of which were pioneered by Kerr-McGee. The technology reduces the reserve threshold for economical development of deepwater fields. Measuring 64 feet in diameter and 560 feet in length, the facility, named the Kerr-McGee Global Producer IX, can be expanded to a production capacity of 300 MMcf/d. The design features six tubes surrounding a seventh tube, each 20 feet in diameter and connected by structural steel.

GulfTerra Energy Partners said last week that its Phoenix Gas Pipeline received initial gas flows from Red Hawk. Phoenix is a 78- mile, 18-inch diameter pipeline originating in 5,300 feet of water. The pipeline interconnects with the ANR Pipeline system at Vermilion Block 397 and is capable of transporting up to 450 MMcf/d of gas.

©Copyright 2004 Intelligence Press Inc. Allrights reserved. The preceding news report may not be republishedor redistributed, in whole or in part, in any form, without priorwritten consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.