ChevronTexaco
awards contracts for Angola's deepwater block 14
Posted: 9 June 2003
ChevronTexaco Corp announced its wholly owned subsidiary Cabinda
Gulf Oil Co. Ltd. (CABGOC) has awarded three major contracts for
the first phase of the development of the Benguela, Belize, Lobito
and Tomboco (BBLT) fields in Angola's deepwater Block 14.
BBLT will be the second major development in the highly prolific
Block 14, which has yielded nine discoveries to date. The Kuito
Field development, which began production in late 1999 — 30
months after discovery — is Angola's first deepwater producer.
The BBLT Development is located 50 miles (80 kilometers) offshore
in more than 1,250 feet (381 meters) of water. Plans are to combine
the Benguela-Belize integrated Drilling and Production Platform
(DPP) hub facility, supported by a Compliant Piled Tower (CPT),
with tieback to the Lobito-Tomboco sub-sea wells, enabling the phased
development of the BBLT reserve base.
This is believed to be the industry's first application of CPT
structural technology outside the Gulf of Mexico. At 1,280 feet
(394 meters) the tower when complete will be among the world's tallest
man-made structures.
"The exploration and production assets in ChevronTexaco's
Angola portfolio are of great importance to the company's growth
strategy," said George Kirkland, president of ChevronTexaco
Overseas Petroleum Inc. "Bringing additional production on-stream
in Block 14 is a key component of this strategy."
Execution of the Benguela Belize Project, the first phase of the
overall BBLT Development, is now under way and first production
from the Benguela and Belize fields is expected by the end of 2005.
The first-phase development also includes the drilling and completion
of more than 30 development wells, some of which will employ extended
reach technology.
Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) has been awarded
the contract for the engineering, procurement, construction and
installation of the production facilities, CPT and the gas and oil
export pipelines.
KCA/Deutag has been awarded the contract for the engineering, procurement
and construction of the platform drilling rig and the contract for
future operations and maintenance of the rig.
"The BBLT Development is a world-class project that demonstrates
the ongoing commitment of the Block 14 Contractor Group to work
collaboratively with the Government of Angola in developing the
significant oil reserves in Block 14," said Jim Blackwell,
recently appointed as CABGOC's managing director. "We're delighted
with the prospects of going forward with the first phase of this
major development and we're looking forward to a safe and timely
installation and start-up."
The second phase of the BBLT Development involving the Lobito and
Tomboco fields is expected to produce via sub-sea wells tied into
the central production hub. First production from Lobito and Tomboco
is expected no later than early 2007.
Combined BBLT annual production is expected to peak at 200,000
barrels of oil per day by 2009.
CABGOC, headquartered in Luanda, Angola, is the Operator of the
Block 14 Contractor Group, which is comprised of: Cabinda Gulf Oil
Co. Ltd. (31 per cent), Agip Angola Exploration B.V. (20 per cent),
Sonangol Pesquisa & Producao, S.A.R.L. (20 per cent), TotalFinaElf
Exploration & Production, Angola (20 per cent) and Galp-Exploracao
e Producao Petrolifera, LDA (9 per cent).
Posted by Richard Price,
Editor Pipeline Magazine
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