By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 10 -- BP PLC unit BP Exploration (Angola) Ltd. has awarded two major contracts for development of six fields in Block 18 off Angola. The action followed approval by state-owned oil company Sociedade Nacional de Combustveis de Angola (Sonangol), with which operator BP and its 50:50 partner Royal Dutch Shell have a production-sharing contract.
The fields, Galio, Cromio, Paladio, Plutonio, Cobalto, and Platina— collectively known as Greater Plutonio—are located in water 1,200-1,500 m deep and will be developed using a single floating, production, storage, and offloading vessel linked by risers to a network of subsea flowlines, wells, and manifolds.
The contract for engineering, procurement, construction, and management went to Kellogg Brown & Root, which will work from its Leatherhead, UK offices.
Hyundai Heavy Industries will fabricate the FPSO hull and topside equipment at its Ulsan shipyard in South Korea.
BP plans to award contracts within the next few weeks for the subsea production system and umbilicals, risers, and flowlines. The integrated drilling contract will be awarded later this year. First production is targeted for 2007.
As a result of these and other recent discoveries in its deep and ultradeep waters, Angola is poised to boost oil production to 2 million b/d by 2007 (OGJ Online, Aug. 6, 2003).
