Friday 16 May 2014

Clough AMEC JV signs Arrow Energy contract

The Clough AMEC Joint Venture has signed a $20 million Engineering Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) contract for Arrow Energy’s Daandine Expansion Project.

The Daandine Expansion Project includes the installation of additional well facilities and new gas and water gathering pipelines in the Daandine field in Queensland’s Surat Basin.

The contract includes the expansion of the existing central gas processing facility with three new reciprocating, gas-driven compressors and associated process and utility plant, increasing the current number of wells in the Daandine gas field by 22.

Production will be increased by modifications to existing infrastructure and the installation of additional infrastructure.

The contract is set to run to the end of 2015.

According to Clough CEO and Managing Director Kevin Gallagher, the Daandine Expansion Project represents a significant investment in domestic gas supply in the region.

“Clough will draw on extensive engineering and construction management and execution experience in the coal seam gas (CSG) sector to reduce the total installed costs for this important project,” said Mr Gallagher.

“We will work closely with Arrow Energy and our partner AMEC, to deliver industry leading safety, cost and productivity performance.”
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Thursday 15 May 2014

Fugro awarded Basrah Gas contract

Fugro has been awarded a contract for one year, plus a year extension option, by Basrah Gas Company for the provision of Geotechnical Investigations and Topographic Services in the Basrah province of Southern Iraq.

Fugro will provide geotechnical and topographical survey investigation services at various locations throughout the project area to support a number of planned engineering projects for an onshore LNG plant, new pipelines, and anticipated expansion of gas compression facilities.

From the planning through to the decommissioning stages of the project, engineering survey support will be provided in the form of route, profile, setting out and as-built surveys for pipelines, cables, utility services, roads, and overhead power lines.

Geotechnical investigations will be carried out for engineering and foundation design of new structures and review of existing structures in the project area, with all geotechnical laboratory testing performed at Fugro’s accredited laboratory in Basrah.

The award builds on the work previously undertaken by Fugro Iraq in support of Basrah Gas Company’s gas development activities in the Basrah province of Southern Iraq.

The contract award supports Fugro Iraq’s commitment to the continued development of Iraq’s rebuilding process.
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GAC Russia upgrades Black Sea facilities

GAC Russia is underlining its commitment to offshore oil & gas exploration and extraction in the Black Sea with a major project to upgrade its facilities at the port of Novorossiysk.

"By combining our local experience and expertise with the GAC Group’s versatile range of services and international experience in supply base business, we have what it takes to overcome the current limitations of Novorossiysk port to create a strong supply base to support upcoming operations in the Russian Black Sea," Arkady Podkopaev, GAC Russia’s Managing Director said.

"We are also well prepared to set up bases elsewhere in Russia in the near future."

The Black Sea is one of the areas in which the development of fields looks set to boom as Russian oil majors are granted licenses and joint ventures are formed with international energy companies to develop blocks.

GAC Russia has already signed contracts with one of the key players to provide supply base support for their operations from Novorossiysk. Facilities include a dedicated berth, open and closed storage areas, site for liquid mud plant and dry bulk plant and office premises.

During the pre-drilling phase, GAC’s Novorossiysk supply base will be used for the accumulation of materials and equipment being gathered in preparation for offshore operations. When drilling starts, the base will swing into full action with round-the-clock operations loading and offloading supply vessels supporting the offshore operations. GAC will provide experienced personnel, mobile cranes, forklifts and trucks to arrange the full scope of supply base management in strict compliance with national and international HSSE regulations.

The project will include coordination with a range of local authorities and service providers, as well as screening and pre-qualifying partners to ensure they meet the stringent standards of the GAC Group. Arkady Podkopaev, GAC Russia’s Managing Director, says his company is equal to those challenges, and has already obtained OHSAS 18001:2007 certification in preparation for the task.
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Nordic Maritime new 3D seismic award

Nordic Maritime, in collaboration with ELNUSA, has been awarded the provision of 3D marine seismic data acquisition & processing services for Husky-CNOOC Madura Limited, Offshore Indonesia.

Nordic Maritime’s seismic vessel S/V Nordic Bahari, which recently completed a 2,500 line km 2D marine seismic data acquisition & processing services in East Malaysia's Sarawak T3 Block, for Pexco Sarawak N.V., will start the acquisition of approximately 420 sq.km by the end of May with support from chase vessel M/V Viking Vanguard.

The project is expected to be completed by July.
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Tullow Oil Twiga-2 update

Twiga-2 sidetrack encounters 62 metres of net oil pay

The Sakson PR5 rig is continuing drilling operations on the Twiga-2 up-dip appraisal well.  The initial wellbore was drilled near the basin bounding fault and encountered some 18 metres of net oil pay within alluvial fan facies, with limited reservoir quality. A decision was therefore made to sidetrack the well away from the fault to explore north of Twiga-1 and some 62 metres of vertical net oil pay has been discovered in the Auwerwer formation, similar in quality to the initial Twiga-1 discovery.  The well is currently being deepened to evaluate the Lower Lokhone potential and a testing program for this successful well is planned to be conducted later this year.”

Ekunyuk-1 finds best sands on eastern flank although lacks trap

The Ekunyuk-1 well is located on the eastern flank, on trend with recent discoveries at Etuko and Ewoi. The well has now reached a final total depth of 1,802 metres and has encountered some 5 metres of net oil pay, within approximately 150 metres of reservoir quality water-bearing sandstone and an equal thickness of a basin-wide rich oil shale. This rig will now be moved to the Agete-2 location.”

"I am pleased to announce that the Twiga-2 exploratory sidetrack has encountered material oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs north of Twiga-1," said Angus McCoss, Exploration Director, Tullow Oil.

"The combined results from Twiga-2 and its successful sidetrack confirm the resource potential and have given us valuable insights for the locations of future exploration and development wells. The Ekunyuk-1 well encountered the best developed reservoir sands so far on the east flank, although at this location the trap appears to be incompletely formed. Additionally, the presence of a thick extensive oil shale gives us new options to study the basin’s substantial unconventional oil potential."
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Monday 12 May 2014

North Sea hope for declining production

According to Douglas-Westwood Western Europe will continue to rely on imported Russian gas into the 2020s as mature offshore provinces struggle for growth, while large-scale shale gas extraction looks increasingly unlikely in the medium term.

Following Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine and the resulting strained diplomatic ties with the West, it remains to be seen if North Sea production can rally to support any drop in gas flow from Russia.

With many IOCs planning investment into UK offshore fields through enhanced oil recovery (EOR), deeper water plays and downstream infrastructure upgrades, our Development Drilling & Production Forecast predicts that production will rally slightly to around 1.75 million b/d by 2017, requiring a maintaining of the recent 6% jump in well completions.

The necessary high levels of expenditure are unlikely to be sustained in the long-term due to the UK’s offshore maturity; therefore, DW expect a resumption of decline towards the end of the decade. Hope for any long-term growth rests with much-needed reform of the UK’s offshore regulator, which must swiftly adapt to the shift towards production from smaller fields.

On the other side of the North Sea, Statoil are to attempt improved recovery from brownfield projects offshore Norway. Along with the start of projects in the large Johan Sverdrup and Goliat fields, this will see the number of well completions sustained at around 200 a year beyond 2020. DW expect these projects will see Norway break from the mould of other mature Western European producers and sustain production into the next decade. It must be noted, however, that both of these fields are currently subject to delay. Johan Sverdrup is facing electrification issues whilst ENI’s Goliat FPSO is still to be completed and may take millions of man-hours more.

Potential risks to future growth include rising costs and the potential (albeit currently small, and in the longer term) competition from shale gas production.

A recent victim of rising costs was the subsea compression project at Ormen Lange, despite positive results during testing and the backing of Statoil and ExxonMobil. Recent onshore legislation changes in the UK now allows for drilling and pipeline construction under private property. This, along with growing encouragement from Westminster of E&P companies, shows that shale gas extraction could be possible on a larger scale towards the end of the decade.
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CNOOC Kenli 3-2 oilfields start production

CNOOC Limited reported that its Kenli 3-2 oilfields have commenced production.

The Kenli 3-2 oilfields, located in the southern Bohai Sea, consists of Kenli 3-2, Bozhong 34-6/7, southern part of Bozhong 29-4 and Bozhong 35-2 oilfields.

The average water depth is approximately 20 meters. The primary production facilities include 7 offshore platforms and 1 onshore oil processing terminal.

The peak production of the oilfields is estimated around 35,000 barrels per day.
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Edvard Grieg appraisal well successfully completed

Lundin Petroleum reported the appraisal drilling and testing of the well 16/1-18 on the Edvard Grieg field in the North Sea sector of the Norwegian Continental shelf has been successfully completed.

The Edvard Grieg field was discovered by well 16/1-8 drilled in 2007. The appraisal well 16/1-18 was drilled 2.4 kilometres east of the Edvard Grieg production platform.

The objective of the well was to appraise the reservoir properties in the south eastern part of the Edvard Grieg field in order to optimise the drainage strategy and drilling of production wells in this part of the field.

The well encountered approximately 62 metres of oil bearing conglomeratic sandstone sequence dated late Upper Jurassic. The reservoir sequence was cored and an extensive logging programme was acquired. Good reservoir quality was established in the upper 43 metres and moderate reservoir quality in the lower 19 metres of the oil bearing zone. An oil down-to situation was established.

A production test (DST) was carried out in a 13 metre perforation interval in the lowest part of the oil bearing zone. The test yielded over 800 barrels of oil per day through a 28/64 inch choke, demonstrating good permeability and good vertical communication across the entire 62 metres oil zone. The upper part of the reservoir with the best reservoir quality was planned to be perforated and tested in a comingled test with the lower zone, but this was cancelled due to operational issues. Nevertheless, a mini-DST in the upper oil bearing zone confirmed good quality reservoir properties.

"The results of the Edvard Grieg appraisal well provided encouraging results in respect of the quality of the conglomeratic reservoir which is much better than seen in other wells," said Ashley Heppenstall, President and CEO of Lundin Petroleum.

"This provides upside in relation to the resource contribution from this reservoir where we previously assumed low recovery factors. The lack of sandstone reservoir at this location is however disappointing. At this stage I expect the impact on Edvard Grieg resources to be neutral with upside remaining from the conglomeratic reservoir."

Appraisal well 16/1-18 was drilled to a vertical depth of 2,361 metres below mean sea level (MSL) and was terminated in the Granitic basement. The well will be permanently plugged and abandoned. The water depth is 109 metres.

Lundin Norway is the operator of PL338 with a 50 percent interest. The partners are OMV Norge AS with 20 percent, Statoil Petroleum AS with 15 percent interest and Wintershall Norge AS with 15 percent interest.
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Sunday 11 May 2014

Partnerships to drive GCC petrochemicals industry

Strong regional multi-stakeholder partnerships will be the key for a dynamic, flexible and growth-driven petrochemicals industry, said industry experts at the sixth Supply Chain conference, organized by the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA).

“The industry needs advanced national and regional infrastructure if we are to succeed,” said Mohammad Husain, Chairman of the GPCA Supply Chain Committee and Chief Executive Officer of Equate.

Husain highlighted that the expansion and introduction of new land and sea transport infrastructure would make the Gulf’s petrochemicals industry more flexible, a trait that is necessary for this export oriented sector.

“If you look at Kuwait, for example, 95% of the products, be it petrochemicals or oil and gas, are exported.” The GCC exported approximately 79% of its total product portfolio to 177 countries last year, amounting to 63.4 million tons of chemicals, according to GPCA estimates.

Petrochemical exports for the year were valued at US$55.5 billion.

Husain recommended that the only way to overcome logistics bottlenecks in the petrochemical industry is to strengthen partnerships between GCC government entities, border and customs regulators, logistics service providers and educational institutions.

“The supply chain is made up of many links, and we will only be as strong as the links that make up the entire chain.” Meanwhile, ambitious railway developments in the Gulf region will become a critical enabler for industry growth by facilitating intra-regional chemicals trade.

The growing capabilities of the petrochemicals industry will likewise benefit the emerging railway “For rail to succeed, petrochemicals need to be transported on trains,” said Dr Rumaih Al- Rumaih, Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Railway Company (SAR).

“Railways will make a return on investment only if it transports high- value freight, like petrochemicals, across long- A well-connected railway network will result in capacity and fuel savings, as well as environmental benefits.

“One train is the equivalent of 600 trucks, which can result in savings of 70% for fuel and greenhouse gas emissions,” explained Dr Al-Rumaih.

“The GCC petrochemicals industry has seen astonishing growth over the last few years,” said Dr Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary-General of GPCA.

“Rapid expansion may pose many challenges to the sector and its partners in the transport, customs and logistics industries.

And, in terms of human capital, we are dependent on educational institutions for our human resources.” While the challenges are clear, the industry is set to see consistent growth in the near future.

The GPCA estimates that petrochemical producers in the Arabian Gulf will increase their capacity by 45% over the next four years, reaching 199.5 million tons by 2018.

“The emergence of the petrochemical industry is a positive development that strenghtens the economic diversification of the region,” said Dr Al-Sadoun.

“We predict the growing influence of this sector, as we work in conjunction with our partners across different industries related to infrastructure, construction and transportation. Together, we are ready to face the challenges of the future.”

Over 350 delegates from 23 countries attended the sixth annual Supply Chain conference.

The event was marked by the release “Chemicals Supply Chains in the Arabian Gulf: Chokepoints and Opportunities”, a joint report by the GPCA and Accenture, the management consulting firm.


For more information on the conference and the report, visit www.gpca.org.ae
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Thursday 8 May 2014

Petroleum Geo-Services completes Indonesia-Australia project

PGS reported the completion of the Abadi-Arafura-Aru (AAA) MegaProject.

This unique cross-border seismic study, which extends from Eastern Indonesia through the northern margin of Australia, is based on the integration of several seismic surveys and full tectono-stratigraphic interpretation of 26,500 line km of modern long offset, MultiClient 2D seismic data, largely acquired using PGS GeoStreamer® technology.

The survey ties the main structural elements from East Timor and the Petrel Basin in the west, to the Seram Trough and Arafura Basin in the east, and provides a much improved understanding of regional stratigraphy and basin development.

Large parts of the area remain underexplored and poorly understood. The cross-border AAA MegaProject helps fill that knowledge gap. It reveals the petroleum system along the southern and southeastern margin of Indonesia by tying key wells and discoveries along the northern margin of Australia, which is more mature in terms of exploration.

The project has been the basis for detailed geological analyses by Horizon. These include tectonic and palinspastic reconstructions from Permian to present, geochemical modeling of all potential source rocks in the area, well failure analyses, play fairway mapping, and prospectivity assessment.

The AAA MegaProject is a comprehensive regional seismic and prospectivity package which will help oil companies gain a better understanding of the petroleum systems in this vast, underexplored area, helping them to identify exploration “sweet spots” with increased confidence.
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Pacific Hydro appoints new CEO

The Board of global clean energy solutions provider Pacific Hydro today announced that Michael Fuge will become CEO of the company in early July 2014, which will facilitate a smooth transition from Rob Grant who steps down at that time. Michael’s appointment is the culmination of a global executive search announced in October last year.

Michael has 20 years of international experience in the energy sector. His career has focused on driving transformations in performance in the areas of growth, productivity, efficiency, safety and people engagement.

“This is an outstanding appointment. Michael has deep energy experience across exploration, production and distribution, having led large teams and complex, large-scale developments in New Zealand, as well as in diverse cultures including Oman and Brunei,” said Garry Weaven, Chair of Pacific Hydro.

“Pacific Hydro has diverse renewable energy sources across multiple geographies and as CEO, Michael will focus on realising the significant value potential of the company.

“The global outlook for the renewable energy sector is strong and Michael will selectively consider growth opportunities within an overall framework of operational excellence to deliver strong performance returns to investors.”
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North Sea hope for declining production

Western Europe will continue to rely on imported Russian gas into the 2020s as mature offshore fields struggle for growth, while large-scale shale gas extraction looks increasingly unlikely in the medium term. Following Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine and the resulting strained diplomatic ties with the West, it remains to be seen if North Sea production can rally to support any drop in gas flow from Russia.

With many IOCs planning investment into UK offshore fields through enhanced oil recovery (EOR), deepwater plays and downstream infrastructure upgrades, Douglas-Westwood (DW) in their World Development Drilling & Production Forecast predicts that production will rally slightly to around 1.75 million b/d by 2017, requiring a maintaining of the recent 6% jump in well completions.

The necessary high levels of expenditure are unlikely to be sustained in the long-term due to the UK’s offshore maturity; therefore, DW expect a resumption of decline towards the end of the decade. Hope for any long-term growth rests with much-needed reform of the UK’s offshore regulator, which must swiftly adapt to the shift towards production from smaller fields.

On the other side of the North Sea, Statoil are to attempt improved recovery from brownfield projects offshore of Norway. Along with the start of projects in the large Johan Sverdrup and Goliat fields, this will see the number of well completions sustained at around 200 a year beyond 2020. DW expect these projects will see Norway break from the mould of other mature Western European producers and sustain production into the next decade. It must be noted, however, that both of these fields are currently subject to delay. Johan Sverdrup is facing electrification issues whilst ENI’s Goliat FPSO is still to be completed and may take millions of man-hours more.

Potential risks to future growth include rising costs and the potential (albeit currently small) competition with shale gas production. A recent victim of rising costs was the subsea compression project at Ormen Lange, despite positive results during testing and the backing of Statoil and ExxonMobil.

Recent onshore legislation changes in the UK now allow for drilling and pipeline construction under private property. This, along with growing encouragement from Westminster of E&P companies, shows that shale gas extraction could be possible on a larger scale towards the end of the decade.
Read more ...

WellDog wins $16.5m in contracts

WellDog has been awarded about $16.5 million in contracts to supply and install its aquifer monitoring and gas production optimisation downhole gauge systems.

These contracts confirm WellDog’s stature as the largest supplier of gauge systems in Australia, and one of the largest in the world.

“We appreciate our customers’ continued confidence in our services and intend to work hard to warrant that confidence for the foreseeable future.”

“As our gauge business has grown we have continuously improved our manufacturing and field service procedures in order to increase installation success and optimise long term system performance,” WellDog CEO John Pope said.

“We offer the best performance value in the industry, and we’re quickly making it even better.
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Helix wins McDermott ROV services contract

Helix Energy Solutions Group reported its Robotics subsidiary, Canyon Offshore reached an agreement with a subsidiary of McDermott International, Inc. to provide remotely operated vehicle (ROV) services and equipment for McDermott’s fleet of subsea construction and pipelay support vessels.

"We are extremely proud that McDermott has chosen Canyon to support their subsea project ROV needs and look forward to providing a value-added service to McDermott on all of their subsea support vessels," said Canyon’s President Ian Edmonstone.

"We believe McDermott selected Canyon based on our track record of deepwater construction ROV services, our quality and safety systems and most importantly, our experienced staff of operators. We look forward to a long and mutually successful relationship."

The agreement is for a fixed term of three years with options to extend. Canyon will provide dual 3,000-meter ROV systems onboard McDermott vessels, which initially is expected to include the North Ocean 102, Lay Vessel North Ocean 105, Lay Vessel 108 and the Derrick Lay Vessel 2000.

Canyon will supply tooling, personnel and ROV project support to McDermott.

Contract services and equipment mobilization are expected to begin mid-2014, with six ROV systems being installed on three of the McDermott vessels.
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Wednesday 7 May 2014

Petrobras challenge

Petrobras has a track record of remarkable technological achievements; however, it remains constrained by Brazilian politics and has consistently missed its self-set production targets over the last decade. In 2013, it seemed the NOC had finally accepted reality as it announced an output target similar to that of 2012 levels (2 million b/d). However, its long-term forecast estimates oil production to reach 4.2 million b/d by 2020, with much of the increase occurring in the latter part of the decade.

Douglas-Westwood (DW) in their World Development Drilling & Production Forecast expect this to be missed by some 800,000 barrels a day. Petrobras has suffered with persistent funding problems, along with project sanctioning and execution issues which have served to delay the arrival of much needed production from new fields.

Historic estimates of Capex requirements have proved unrealistic and Petrobras has struggled with a double whammy of general industry cost inflation coupled with specific cost increases incurred as a result of local content requirements.

The challenge for Petrobras is the sheer number of major floating production projects required to meets its lofty 4.2 million b/d 2020 target and ensuring that these are executed on time. In this respect, the industry track record is poor.

DW predict that given the NOC’s current situation oil output will reach 3.4 million b/d by the end of the decade.

The difference between Petrobras’ and DW’s production forecasts, in terms of oil-targeted offshore wells required, is significant. Over the 2018-2020 period the Petrobras 2020 target would require 78 more producing wells.

To stand a chance of bridging this gap, Petrobras must increase recovery in existing projects, it must find ways of delivering projects successfully and it must do all of this whilst satisfying the constraints imposed by the government of the day.
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Tuesday 6 May 2014

Shallow Water Gas Sector Bubbling Upwards

A shift in how nations generate their electricity is causing a rise in natural gas demand following the Fukushima 2011 accident and the ever-growing need for cleaner-burning fuel.

The latest IPCC report highlights natural gas as a key bridge to a low-carbon future. However, with many onshore fields maturing, it seems IOCs and NOCs alike are gazing out to sea for their next big gas pay. Relatively immature shallow water (<500 metres water depth) gas plays seemingly offer a way of meeting rising global natural gas demand.

Douglas-Westwood (DW) in their World Development Drilling & Production Forecast expect much of the growth will be seen in APAC where LNG export opportunities to Japan and South Korea, coupled with high decline rates, will see well completions exceed 1,000 by 2020, up 44% from 717 in 2013. Thailand will account for a large amount of this; in 2013, 410 wells offshore gas wells were drilled for around 0.6 mboe/d gas.

This is in stark contrast to the Middle East where highly productive gas wells allow for small numbers of annual well completions. For example, Qatar drilled just 28 shallow water gas wells in 2013 for over 2.5 million boe/d gas.

This could increase to 2.7 million boe/d by 2020 if the Qatari government lift the current moratorium on the North Field, the world’s largest conventional gas deposit.

Also set to boost shallow water gas production is the continuing emergence of FLNG projects. In South East Asia, Petronas is set to deploy its 29 kboe/d FLNG1 vessel on Malaysia’s Kanowit deposit.

A year later Shell is to deploy its $12 billion facility on Australia’s Prelude gas field.

DW expect that such activity will see gas wells drilled in less than 500m of water rise by nearly a half to 1,845 by 2020 – thus leading to gas production from fields in such waters to surge to 21 million boe/d in 2020 from 16 million boe/d in 2013.
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Monday 5 May 2014

Statoil’s completes farm down

On 1 May 2014 Statoil completed the farm down of 10% of its interest of 25.5% in the Shah Deniz Production Sharing Agreement and the South Caucasus Pipeline Company Limited to BP (3.33%) and SOCAR (6.67%).

The consideration for the sale and transfer of these assets is USD 1.45 billion.

The divestment that was announced in December 2013, is in line with Statoil’s strategy of portfolio optimisation based on rigid prioritisation of future investments, and capturing value created from a significant gas position.

Statoil portfolio in Azerbaijan consists of 15.5% in the Shah Deniz (SD) project and the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), 8.56% in Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) and 8.71% in Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline.

Statoil also holds 20% share in Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) AG which is developing the pipeline for transport of the Shah Deniz gas to European markets.
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Saudi Arabia’s water desalination grows

Saudi Energy 2014 to display innovative technologies, latest solutions & newest products for Middle Eastern audience

The population of Saudi Arabia is growing at the rate of over 2.5 per cent, while the demand for water is increasing by more than 8.8 per cent annually.

This has lead the Saudi government to make significant investment in the water desalination industry, which has experienced an annual growth rate of six per cent – the highest in the world. Furthermore, the Ministry of Water and Electricity have signed several contracts worth billions of dollars to establish new desalination facilities in the Kingdom in addition to renovating existing plants to prolong their life expectancy from 25 years to 40 years. Currently, the state-owned Saline Water Conservation Corporation (SWCC) operates 36 water desalination stations on the Red Coast.

To be held from May 26 to 28, 2014 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, Saudi Energy 2014 – the International Trade Exhibition for Electricity, Power Generation, Alternative Energy, Water Technology and Lighting will exhibit cutting-edge technology and latest products in water desalination.

Under the patronage of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Water and Electricity, the event is being organized by the Riyadh Exhibitions Company and Informa Exhibitions.

With the demand for desalinated water at an all time high in the Kingdom, Saudi Energy is one of the leading specialized exhibitions in the region that will give exhibitors an insight about the requirements of the country’s water desalination sector, enable them to strengthen their presence in the Saudi market. Furthermore, participant will gain entry into the regional market by exploring partnership opportunities with local companies, and networking with the region’s professional audience, including government officials, service providers, regional buyers and international exhibitors.
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Friday 2 May 2014

Statoil completes Drivis exploration well

Statoil has together with PL532 partners made an oil and gas discovery in the Drivis prospect in the Barents Sea.

This concludes the 2013/2014 exploration programme around the Johan Castberg field.

Well 7220/7-3 S, drilled by the rig West Hercules, has proven a 68 metre gross gas column in the Stø formation and an 86 metre gross oil column in the Stø and Nordmela formations.

Statoil estimates the total volumes in Drivis to be in the range of 44-63 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent (o.e.), out of which 42-54 million barrels of oil.
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Thursday 1 May 2014

Fugro in carbon capture and storage challenge

Fugro GEOS, in partnership with Sonardyne, is leading a three-year, all-British project for the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) to develop a carbon dioxide (CO2) monitoring system using marine robotics. Valued at £1 million in the first year, the project aims to provide assurance that CO2 stored deep below the seabed in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) sites is secure. The safety of such a method is of paramount importance, with feasibility studies currently underway in the UK and overseas on a number of CCS projects.

A consortium of British multi-discipline partners will examine the requirements for the Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) system. The project will result in the construction of a technology demonstrator with sea trials; a comprehensive review at the end of the three year period; and a solution to a legislative requirement to monitor potential CO2 leaks and their effect on the environment.

“Progress on the development of a cost-effective, reliable monitoring system for the marine environment above CO2 storage complexes is another key step in the process of building confidence in a new CCS industry in the UK,” said Den Gammer, ETI Strategy Manager for CCS.

“Although leakage is highly unlikely we have a duty to ensure that stores are actually protecting the environment and this technology will bring peace of mind to both the operator and the regulator. Our modelling work has shown that CCS has the potential to play a major role in any future low carbon UK energy system, with technological innovation delivering both economic and environmental benefits to the country. This project helps to move the industry and UK capability forward.”

“The challenge set by ETI is the development of an entirely new capability in the MMV of under-sea carbon capture storage sites,” said Anthony Gaffney, Managing Director, Fugro GEOS Ltd.

“This is a truly exciting and ground-breaking project with worldwide ramifications. It is great to see Britain and British organisations leading the way and we are proud to bring our wealth of experience to this key project.”

“Fugro is constantly seeking to diversify and expand its range of technological solutions into new markets. We are well-established in the marine sector and, together with the respective strengths of our technical partners from industry, academia and research, we will ensure that the ETI has selected a consortium able to deliver a cost-effective and commercially exploitable monitoring solution for the carbon capture industry.”

Fugro GEOS has a long MMV history with a track record extending over 30 years, encompassing a diversity of projects worldwide in some of the harshest oceanographic environments.
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