From falling Texas upstream employment numbers to a big contract for Exail with Oceaneering, below is a compilation of the latest headlines in the E&P space.
Activity
Exxon Mobil, Qatar Energy Drill for NatGas Off Cyprus
Exxon Mobil and Qatar Energy began exploratory drilling for natural gas in a prospect west of Cyprus, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said on social media platform X.
He said drilling at the prospect, named Electra, began on the morning of Jan. 24. Exxon executives have described Electra as “highly promising.”
"Cyprus progresses exploration activities, aiming to be an alternative and reliable source of natural gas for the EU," Christodoulides wrote in his post.
The eastern Mediterranean has yielded some major gas discoveries in recent years, and a disruption in energy supplies from Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine has sharpened Europe's attention on securing alternative sources of supply.
CNOOC Starts Production at Dongfang 29-1 Gas Field
CNOOC Ltd. said that production has commenced at its Dongfang 29-1 Gas Field Development Project in the Yinggehai Basin of the South China Sea..
Average water depth of the field is approximately 68 m. The main production facilities include a new unmanned wellhead platform and a submarine pipeline.
Six development wells are planned to be commissioned. The project is expected to achieve a peak production of 38 MMcf/d of natural gas in 2025.
The oil and gas produced will be connected to the existing facilities of Dongfang gas fields through the submarine pipeline for processing.
CNOOC holds 100% interest in this project and is the operator.
Orland Upstream, Norske Shell Drill Dry Well in Norwegian Sea
Orlen Upstream Norway and its partner Norske Shell have drilled a dry well in the southern part of the Norwegian Sea. The well, named 6305/10-1 Tomcat, was the first exploration well in Production License 1055, which was awarded in 2020.
The drilling activity was carried out by the Deepsea Yantai rig, about 25 miles south of the Ormen Lange field.
Equinor Canada Starts Preliminary Work on Bay du Nord
Equinor has initiated preliminary work on the Bay du Nord oil project in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, contracting BW Offshore and Altera Infrastructure for design studies, the Canadian Press reported.
BW said it has been selected to perform the pre-FEED study for the Bay du Nord FPSO project by Equinor Canada. Altera has confirmed its involvement in a preliminary design contract related to a production and storage vessel.
Canada approved the project offshore Newfoundland and Labrador in 2022. Equinor placed the project on hold in 2023 to try to make it more cost-effective. The company hasn’t decided whether to go forward with it.
Texas Upstream Employment Declined in December: TIPRO
Texas upstream employment fell for the first time in seven months in December, the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners (TIPRO) Association said, citing a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Total employment in the sector was 195,500, down by 700 from November, TIPRO said. This represented a decline of 500 jobs in oil and gas extraction and 200 jobs in services.
Contracts and company news
Tracerco Awarded Brazilian Contracts by TechnipFMC
Industrial technology company Tracerco has been chosen by TechnipFMC to deliver the measurement and control solutions for the multiphase subsea separation work on Petrobras’ Mero 3 High Pressure Separator pilot project in the Brazilian pre-salt oil region.
The HISEP project will enable underwater separation of extracted oil and associated CO2-rich gas. The gas will be reinjected back into the reservoir on the seabed, significantly reducing the greenhouse gas emissions intensity.
The project will be deployed at the Mero field development in the Brazilian pre-salt oil region 112 miles off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, where fields typically contain a 50-50 mix of oil and CO2-rich gas.
The Mero unitized field is operated by Petrobras (38.6%), in partnership with Shell Brasil (19.3%), TotalEnergies (19.3%), CNPC (9.65%), CNOOC (9.65%) and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA) (3.5%).
Aker Solutions Signs Long-Term Partnership with Vår Energi
Aker Solutions has entered an agreement to deliver maintenance and modification services on Vår Energi-operated assets and projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The partnership also includes Honeywell and StS-Isonor.
The contract is for five years with the option to be extended up to 11 years.
Vår Energi's operations span the entire Norwegian Continental Shelf with a diversified portfolio of 200 licenses and 42 producing fields.
Wood Wins New Maintenance Contract with Esso Australia
John Wood Group Plc has been awarded a new contract to provide long-term maintenance solutions for onshore and offshore assets in the Gippsland Basin, Victoria, operated by Esso Australia.
Wood will provide maintenance services and shutdown support to optimize operational performance of the Gippsland Basin joint venture’s offshore assets in the Bass Strait and the Longford and Long Island Point facilities. The Bass Strait is the largest single source of natural gas for the domestic market in Australia and supplies approximately 40% of the country’s east coast demand.
Oceaneering Orders New Referencing Systems from Exail
Oceaneering, a global provider of engineered services and products for the offshore energy industry, has placed an initial order for a minimum of 100 units of Exail’s new Octans 9 Attitude Heading Referencing Systems (AHRS).
The Octans 9 systems will be integrated into offshore applications including high-specification offshore field support vessel navigation suites, deep-water drillship remotely operated survey positioning systems, dynamic positioning platforms and general USBL positioning systems.
It’s the first significant order for the new Octans 9 systems made by Exail, a subsidiary of Exail Technologies.
Regulatory updates
FERC Drops Controversial Greenhouse Gas Proceeding
In one of its first acts under new Chairman Mark Christie, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) withdrew a draft greenhouse gas policy statement that had been under consideration in a unanimous order filed Jan. 24.
The move ends a multiyear effort by FERC to consider the impacts of natural gas infrastructure on climate change.
Recommended Reading
Small Steps: The Continuous Journey of Drilling Automation
2024-12-26 - Incremental improvements in drilling technology lead to significant advancements.
Range Resources Counters M&A Peer Pressure with Drilling Efficiencies
2024-11-14 - Range Resources doesn’t feel the need to give into M&A peer pressure as it focuses on the efficient development of its current asset base, President and CEO Dennis Degner tells Hart Energy.
From Days to Minutes: AI’s Potential to Transform Energy Sector
2024-11-22 - Despite concerns many might have, AI looks to be the next great tool for the energy industry, experts say.
Microseismic Tech Breaks New Ground in CO2 Storage
2025-01-02 - Microseismic technology has proved its value in unconventional wells, and new applications could enable monitoring of sequestered CO2 and facilitate geothermal energy extraction.
New Texas 30-MW Data Center Begins Construction
2024-11-11 - Dataprana’s 30-megawatt data center in La Marque, Texas will help satiate the growing demand for cloud services, Web3 applications and digital asset mining.
Comments
Add new comment
This conversation is moderated according to Hart Energy community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion. If you’re experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer care team.