Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent
MELBOURNE, Feb. 28 -- BP Australia has opened its $6.4 million (Aus.) oil unloading facility at the Kwinana refinery south of Perth in readiness for first delivery of Cliff Head field oil from the offshore Perth basin.
The field, operated by Roc Oil Co. Ltd., Sydney, is expected on stream at the end of March. Production is to be trucked 350 km south to Kwinana.
BP says the new facility is expected to unload and process as much as 15,000 b/d once the field reaches peak production in mid-2007. It will be able to receive about 30 tank trucks/day.
Cliff Head will have priority, but upon agreement with the joint venture and BP, the new facility may be used for oil deliveries from other sources.
Kwinana refinery has a capacity of 135,000 b/d of crude.
Cliff Head field, the first offshore field development in the Perth basin, has estimated reserves of 14 million bbl and an expected life of 10-15 years.
