E&P Highlights: March 27, 2023

From seismic activity to field development plans, below is a compilation of the latest headlines in the E&P space.

Activity headlines

Aker BP drops Troldhaugen plans

Aker BP announced on March 21 it would move forward on all but one of the plans for development and operation the company submitted to the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in December 2022.

At the end of 2022, Aker BP and its partners submitted plans for development and operation (PDO) for Yggdrasil, Valhall PWP-Fenris, Skarv Satellites, Utsira High and Troldhaugen. The Troldhaugen project will not move forward.

Aker BP said the recoverable reserves from the projects that will move forward are estimated at 730 MMboe net to Aker BP and will require $19 billion of investments, set at an average breakeven price of $35/bbl to $40/bbl.

Contracts and company news

CGG completes Phase IV of offshore Suriname 

CGG announced on March 21 that it had completed Phase IV of the deepwater 3D seismic survey offshore Suriname and that fast-track products will be ready for review toward the middle of this year, with final products for the entire program available in late 2023.

Phase IV covers 1,800 sq km and completes the programmed 14,500 sq km survey of newly acquired 3D data in deep and shallow water in the Guyana-Suriname Basin. The program also includes over 6,400 sq km of reprocessed data. The new multi-client data will support Suriname’s deepwater and shallow-water bid rounds.

Equinor awards Berling work to Aker Solutions

Aker Solutions announced on March 27 that Equinor had awarded it a sizeable contract to tie back two gas fields to the Åsgard B platform. The two fields were previously known as Iris and Hades and have been renamed Berling.

The Berling tie-in to Åsgard B is an engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning project. Offshore mobilization will begin in November 2025, and the tie-back will be completed in December 2027. Production start is planned for 2028.

HiCrush to deploy OnCore unit for Pioneer

Hi-Crush Inc. announced on March 21 that it had entered into an agreement with Pioneer Natural Resources to deploy Hi-Crush’s sixth OnCore mobile mining unit to supply frac sand for use in Pioneer’s well completions activity in the Midland Basin. This will be Hi-Crush’s second OnCore deployment with Pioneer following the successful start of operations at OnCore #4 in September 2022, and Hi-Crush’s fifth OnCore deployment within the Midland Basin.

PGS wins new 3D contract

PGS announced on March 22 that a major international energy company had awarded it a 3D exploration acquisition contract. The Ramform Titan will mobilize for the survey in late June, with acquisition expected to be complete in August 2023.

LLOG taps Trendsetter for Salamanca manifold

Trendsetter Engineering Inc. announced on March 27 that LLOG Exploration Offshore had awarded it a contract to provide subsea hardware for the Salamanca subsea developments at Leon and Castile in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

Trendsetter’s scope of work includes the design and manufacture of the subsea production manifold featuring Trendsetter’s TCS subsea connectors along with valves sourced from Advanced Technology Valve SpA (ATV) in Italy. Trendsetter is also supplying TCS connectors and ATV valves for the export tie-ins. The equipment is slated for delivery in early 2024.

Maritime Developments Ltd. (MDL) reported on March 22 it supported DOF Subsea on a field redevelopment scope offshore Gabon.

A complete MDL flex-lay spread, consisting of a horizontal lay system (HLS) with the TTS-4/140 Series Tensioner, and a Generation 3 Reel Drive System, was mobilized on the Skandi Constructor.

The scope covered recovery and installation of umbilicals and flexibles as part of an FPSO replacement with an FSO. The project was part of the field’s infrastructure upgrade, aiming to reduce operational costs while increasing storage capacity and contributing to the extension of the field’s producing life.

The flexible products were handled through the vessel’s moonpool, enabled by the MDL HLS. The compact system allowed for efficient mid-line connections by allowing safe and convenient hang-off for the products’ end terminations.

Hess picks DecisionSpace 365

Halliburton Co. announced on March 22 that Hess Corp. had selected Halliburton Landmark’s DecisionSpace 365 Well Construction applications to plan, design and construct wells.

With DecisionSpace 365 powered by iEnergy hybrid cloud, Hess can leverage predictive drilling analytics using artificial intelligence and machine learning to gain comprehensive oversight across the entire well construction lifecycle, Halliburton said.