All three Galapagos fields flowing in Gulf of Mexico

July 13, 2012
All three wells in the deepwater Galapagos development in the Gulf of Mexico are producing, reports Noble Energy Inc., operator of two of three fields in the complex.

All three wells in the deepwater Galapagos development in the Gulf of Mexico are producing, reports Noble Energy Inc., operator of two of three fields in the complex.

BP PLC started Galapagos development in June at Isabela field, which it operates (OGJ Online, June 12, 2012). It said gross Galapagos production would peak at about 60,000 boe/d.

Since then, Noble has started production from the other fields, Santiago and Santa Cruz. Production from the subsea fields flows to the Na Kika facility operated by BP. Water depths in the area, which is 140 miles southeast of New Orleans, are about 6,500 ft.

Noble said it will halt appraisal of its subsalt Deep Blue prospect in 5,100 ft of water on Green Canyon Block 723 off central Louisiana, although the initial well and a sidetrack encountered hydrocarbons. Drilling of the sidetrack was interrupted by the moratorium imposed on gulf activity after the Macondo blowout in April 2010.