Phillips Petroleum Co. U.K. Ltd. has completed a study of West of Shetland development options using spar platforms, although it has no acreage in the region.
Phillips said it intends to bid aggressively for West of Shetland acreage, to be offered later this year in U.K.'s 17th offshore licensing round (OGJ, Dec. 18, 1995, p. 32).
Phillips commissioned a study by McDermott Marine Construction Ltd. into development options for various postulated discoveries West of Shetland in water as deep as 5,300 ft.
McDermott looked into development of fields with production rates of 40,000-150,000 b/d of oil and 130 MMcfd-1.22 bcfd of gas.
Exports by pipeline were investigated, as were options for gas conversion into liquids for export by shuttle tanker.
Phillips said the process recently unveiled by Sasol Ltd. and Haldor Topsoe AS, for conversion of gas to diesel fuel, was one of the options studied (OGJ, Mar. 4, p. 43).
Spar platform preferred
McDermott concluded that the spar platform concept would be the most cost-effective way to support envisaged riser systems and production facilities.
Spar platforms with storage and drilling facilities were also studied.
McDermott is equal partner with Aker Oil & Gas Technology AS, Oslo, in Houston-based Spars International Inc., which holds an exclusive license on spar technology.
So far only two spar platforms are planned for use, in the Gulf of Mexico Neptune and Genesis field developments, but the technology is viewed as holding great promise for deepwater projects (OGJ, July 1, p. 34).
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