By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, Mar. 8 -- PanCanadian Energy Corp. said it has filed regulatory applications for its wholly owned Deep Panuke natural gas development project off Nova Scotia. The field, about 250 km east of Halifax, NS, on the Scotian shelf, is estimated to hold 1 tcf of gas (OGJ, Jan. 21, 2002, p. 54).
Deep Panuke, which underlies Panuke-Cohasset oil field, is the second major gas development on the Scotian shelf, following the Sable Island area gas fields development that went on stream in late 1999.
PanCanadian's filings—which were made to Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and Canada's National Energy Board—cover the technical aspects of the project, its economic benefits, the potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts, and public consultation.
Regulatory hearings are expected to start in the fall. PanCanadian said it would start construction on the project following the outcome of the proceedings, which are expected to be reached in the first quarter of 2003.
PanCanadian anticipates spending $1.1 billion (Can.) on the project, with operating expenses pegged at $60 million.
"With Deep Panuke, we have the most promising development project on the East Coast in recent years," said Dave Boone, PanCanadian executive vice-president and chief operating officer.
The project involves the construction of platform-based gas processing facilities offshore as well as a subsea pipeline network to transport the gas to shore. Offshore, components will include three newbridge-linked platformsinstalled near the existing Panuke platform. About 175 km of 24-in. pipeline will carry gas from the platform complex to landfall at Goldboro, NS, where the system will tie in with the existing Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline system.
Panuke will have a production design capacity of 400 MMcfd, expandable to 650 MMcfd. First gas is expected in late 2004 or early 2005.
