Eni SPA has started production from the East Hub development project on deepwater Block 15/06 offshore Angola.
Production is taking place through the Armada Olombendo floating production, storage, and offloading vessel, whose capacities total 80,000 b/d of oil and 3.4 million cu m/day of gas. With 9 wells and 4 manifolds in 450 m of water, the FPSO will bring into production Cabaca South East field, 350 km northwest of Luanda and 130 km west of Soyo.
The East Hub project will add to production from the existing West Hub project covering Sangos, Cinguvu, and Mpungi fields, where another FPSO, the N’Goma, is operating. Production from West Hub started in 2014 (OGJ Online, Dec. 8, 2014). In total, Block 15/06 will reach a peak production of 150,000 bo/d this year.
Eni says it has discovered 3 billion bbl of oil in place through 10 commercial discoveries on Block 15/06. Cabaca South East brings to 5 the number of fields Eni has in production, with 2 more expected to start up before yearend 2018.
Claudio Descalzi, Eni chief executive officer, said East Hub production startup has begun “with a time-to-market of only 3 years and 5 months ahead of schedule” due to “strong field development and project management.”
Block 15/06 is operated by Eni with 36.84% interest. Sonangol Pesquisa e Producao controls 36.84% and SSI Fifteen Ltd. has 26.32%.
Eni has been present in Angola since 1980 through its subsidiary Eni Angola. Equity production amounted to 124,000 boe/d in 2016.