Mexico

Friday afternoon Enterprise Products Partners LP was awaiting word from federal authorities on whether it could flow gas on a bypass of a Gulf of Mexico (GOM) platform that was damaged when a piece of equipment exploded and caused a fire late Tuesday.

An exploration well in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) at the Vito prospect in Mississippi Canyon Block 984 has encountered more than 250 net feet of oil pay in subsalt Miocene sands, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., the well operator, reported. Anadarko has a 20% stake in the prospect; Shell Offshore Inc. holds a 55% working interest and is to become operator after the rig is released. StatoilHydro USA E&P Inc. holds the remaining 25% stake. The partners plan to evaluate the data from the Vito well and time an appraisal well, said Anadarko’s Bob Daniels, senior vice president, Worldwide Exploration. The Vito well was drilled to a total depth of 32,000 feet in 4,038 feet of water using the Noble Amos Runner deepwater drilling rig. Once operations are complete at Vito, Anadarko plans to move the rig to continue drilling operations at its operated Caesar/Tonga development in the Green Canyon area.

Production from the Thunder Hawk Field in the Gulf of Mexico ramped up in early July, according to operator Murphy Oil Corp. The field is in Mississippi Canyon Block 734, with output processed by a semi-submersible floating production unit built by SBM Offshore. The unit is able to process up to 70 MMcf/d of natural gas and 45,000 b/d of oil. Thunder Hawk is in more than 5,700 feet of water and is about 145 miles southeast of New Orleans. Three subsea wells initially were connected via flow lines to the facility; more are to be added. Murphy holds a 37.5% stake in the project. Partners are Eni and StatoilHydro USA E&P, which each hold a 25% stake, and Marubeni Oil & Gas (USA), which has a 12.5% interest.

Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) said Tuesday it has made “significant progress” on the oft-delayed REX-East segment of the pipeline. REX projects establishing service from Mexico, MO, to Lebanon, OH, on Tuesday, June 30, or possibly up to two days earlier.

Less than a year after its discovery, the Geauxpher Field in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is producing 115 MMcf/d of natural gas from two wells, according to operator Mariner Energy Inc. The project, located in Garden Banks Block 462 more than 150 miles offshore Louisiana, was discovered in mid 2008. The development’s wells are connected via a 40-mile subsea tieback to a third party-operated platform on Garden Banks Block 72. After processing the gas is transported via pipeline to onshore facilities. Production from the wells to pressurize the flowline to the platform began in April, and sales began May 15. Geauxpher is 60% owned by Mariner; Apache Corp. owns the remaining stake. In another joint venture with Apache, Mariner is drilling an exploration well on the Arden prospect on Garden Banks Block 949. Mariner operates the Arden prospect, which is expected to reach its targeted depth over the next two to three months. The companies each hold 50% working interests in the prospect.

Less than a year after its discovery, the Geauxpher Field in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is producing 115 MMcf/d of natural gas from two wells, operator Mariner Energy Inc. said Wednesday.

Italian producer Eni, which up to now has kept its U.S. exploration efforts confined to the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and Alaska, has formed a strategic alliance with Quicksilver Resources Inc. to acquire, develop and exploit some of Quicksilver’s Barnett Shale leasehold.

Italian producer Eni, which up to now has kept its U.S. exploration efforts confined to the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and Alaska, has formed a strategic alliance with Quicksilver Resources Inc. to acquire, develop and exploit some of Quicksilver’s Barnett Shale leasehold.

Nearly all the key economic barometers for natural gas markets are expected to continue heading south this year, with the exception of Gulf of Mexico (GOM) gas production, U.S. imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the level of working gas inventory, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook for May.