Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline celebrated the new millenniumwith the rattle and hum of initial gas flowing from the shorelineof Nova Scotia 650 miles to markets in the northeastern UnitedStates. After struggling through an 11th hour Indian dispute inCanada, the pipeline company said it opened its valves Jan. 1.

Throughput is averaging more than 100 MMcf/d (36 MMcf/d to theU.S.) and producers with the Sable Offshore Energy Project saidthey expect it to ramp up to 440 MMcf/d quickly. About 360 MMcf/dis expected to enter the U.S. by mid-February. The Sable projectwill reach peak flow of 530 MMcf/d after Nova Scotia and NewBrunswick laterals are put in place, which is expected to be byNovember.

Sable sponsor Exxon Mobil Corp. said the $2 billion gasproduction project began initial flow in mid-December to the gasplant in Goldboro, NS. The upstream project consists of threeoffshore platforms, a 125-mile subsea pipeline and gas processingand fractionation plants.

“…..Sable’s natural gas wells have surpassed productionexpectations and are delivering a new source of clean-burningnatural gas to a high-density market in New England and to newcustomers in the Canadian Maritime Provinces,” said Exxon MobilDirector and Senior Vice President Harry Longwell.

First-phase production for the Sable project is from theThebaud, Venture and North Triumph gas fields, located about 125miles off the coast of Nova Scotia. Three additional fields areassociated with a second phase of development. The six fields areestimated to contain more than 3.5 Tcf of gas and more than 100million bbl of gas liquids. Pre-production test rates for the sixSable wells drilled to date — which range from 50 MMcf/d to 100MMcf/d — indicate they are some of the best gas producers inCanadian history and will enable the project to exceed its targetfor daily production, the company said.

Exxon Mobil’s share in the project is through Mobil Canada(50.8%) and its 70% interest in Imperial Oil (9% of Sable). Otherpartners are Shell Canada (31.3%), Nova Scotia Resources (8.4%) andMosbacher Operating (0.5%).

Rocco Canonica

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