Thunder Horse, considered the world’s largest semisubmersible platform, has begun production in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) from a single well and is on track to be fully commissioned before the end of 2008 following a three-year delay. The platform is jointly owned by BP plc, with a 75% stake, and ExxonMobil Corp., which holds 25%. Located 150 miles southeast of New Orleans on Mississippi Canyon Blocks 778 and 822, Thunder Horse is expected to be the largest oil and gas producer in the GOM once it begins full production. At full capacity, Thunder Horse would increase overall U.S. oil and gas output by 3.6%. Thunder Horse was to begin operations in 2005 and produce up to 250,000 b/d of oil and 200 MMcf/d of natural gas. However, the BP-operated facility has suffered from a series of natural and man-made delays. After Hurricane Dennis struck the platform in 2005, the platform was found listing 20 degrees, and BP said then it was unlikely that commercial production would begin before the end of 2005 (see NGI, Aug. 1, 2005). Following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, also in 2005, the Thunder Horse ramp-up timetable was again revised; production was set to begin by mid-2006 (see NGI, Dec. 5, 2005). A year later BP said it would “retrieve and rebuild” all of the seabed production equipment from the Thunder Horse field, and the start-up was pushed to this year (see NGI, Sept. 25, 2006).
Mexico
Articles from Mexico
Commissioning Under Way on Deepwater Thunder Horse
Thunder Horse, considered the world’s largest semisubmersible platform, has begun production in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) from a single well and is on track to be fully commissioned before the end of 2008 following a three-year delay.
Repairs Completed, Independence Hub Begins Ramp-Up
The nearly two-month wait for the Independence Hub natural gas deepwater production platform in the Gulf of Mexico to come back on-line may be nearing an end as Enterprise Products Partners LP announced last Tuesday it had completed repairs on the associated Independence Trail pipeline.
Repairs Completed, Independence Set to Restart This Month
The nearly two-month wait for the Independence Hub natural gas deepwater production platform in the Gulf of Mexico to come back on-line may be nearing an end as Enterprise Products Partners LP announced Tuesday it has completed repairs on the associated Independence Trail pipeline.
Independence Restart Now Set for ‘First Half of June’
The wait for the Independence Hub natural gas deepwater production platform in the Gulf of Mexico to come back on-line got a little longer last week as Enterprise Products Partners LP announced that it was revising the restart date from “mid-May” to the “first half of June,” provided there are no “unexpected weather issues.”
Independence Restart Now Set for ‘First Half of June’
The wait for the Independence Hub natural gas deepwater production platform in the Gulf of Mexico to come back on-line got a little longer Tuesday night as Enterprise Products Partners LP announced that it was revising the restart date from “mid-May” to the “first half of June,” provided there are no “unexpected weather issues.”
Futures Climb as Independence Hub Restart Gets Pushed Back
Concern surrounding the delay in restarting the Independence Hub natural gas deepwater production platform in the Gulf of Mexico gave bulls a little boost overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday as June natural gas futures recorded an overnight high for the move of $11.794 before closing out Wednesday’s regular session at $11.598, up 17.6 cents from Tuesday’s close.
First West Coast LNG Site to Stay Quiet in 2008
Sempra Energy’s Costa Azul facility in North Baja California, Mexico, the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal on the West Coast of North America, may sit mostly idle after it is deemed commercially available later this spring. Nevertheless, Sempra will earn a profit based on capacity payments from part of Royal Dutch Shell that holds a contract for half of the 1 Bcf/d terminal’s throughput.
First West Coast LNG Terminal to Be Mostly Quiet in 2008
Sempra Energy’s Costa Azul facility in North Baja California, Mexico, the first liquefied natural gas (LN G) receiving terminal on the West Coast of North America, may sit mostly idle after it is deemed commercially available later this spring. Nevertheless, Sempra will earn a profit based on capacity payments from part of Royal Dutch Shell that holds a contract for half of the 1 Bcf/d terminal’s throughput.
Chevron: Deepwater Blind Faith Ramp-Up Delayed
Chevron Corp.’s Blind Faith project in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has been delayed until the last half of the year because of a problem with the mooring lines. The project, which is expected to have production capacity of 45,000 MMcf/d of natural gas and 45,000 b/d of crude oil, had been scheduled to ramp up by the end of June.
