Total and its partners hit a new production record of 737,000 b/d from Block 17, offshore Angola, in March.

The record output from the fields including CLOV (31/20), Girassol (31/17), Pazflor (30/07) and Dalia (30/12) has been achieved in part due to the company’s brownfield strategy paying dividends.

The Projects Brown Field (PBF) initiative is aimed at limiting the natural decline of the fields and maximising production from the block’s fpsos. It includes the development of infill wells, satellite fields and marginal reservoirs, Nicolas Huet, contract manager Total E&P Angola told the MCE Deepwater Development conference in London.

On Dalia for example, a de-bottlenecking programme is being carried out on the topsides to increase water injection capacities. A fourth MeOH pump is being added, while individual flow control valves are being installed on each riser at the topsides. Seven additional oil producers are also being added as well as two flowbases to connect two oil producers on one manifold slot. The ICSS and SPS control system are also being upgraded.

Three additional oil producers are being added on Acacia as well as two water injection wells. The Girri Rosa MPP (multi-phase pump) project will make use of the Girassol and Dalia FPSOs with two MPPs being used on this project. Gas lift is being used to enhance recovery, while on the M14 well a Xmas tree is being re-used from a plugged well, a good example of the synergies Total is seeking to achieve, Huet said.