Appomattox field in the US Gulf of Mexico started production ahead of schedule in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico about 80 miles offshore Louisiana. Shell Offshore Inc. operates the field in 7,200 ft of water.
Shell holds 79% interest and CNOOC Petroleum Offshore USA Inc. holds 21% interest. Shell said the Appomattox development is in the Jurassic Norphlet formation, where the company continues exploration.
The Appomattox development involves Appomattox and Vicksburg fields. Average peak production is estimated to reach 175,000 boe/d.
Shell discovered Appomattox in 2010 and Vicksburg in 2013. The Appomattox hull, weighing 40,000 tonnes, is Shell’s largest floating production system.
Royal Dutch Shell PLC made its final investment decision (FID) on the Appomattox deepwater development in 2015, authorizing construction and installation of the company’s eighth and largest floating platform in the GOM (OGJ Online, July 1, 2015).
Production came on stream ahead of schedule and under budget, which Andy Brown, upstream director for Royal Dutch Shell, called “a testament to our ongoing commitment to drive down costs through efficiency improvements during execution.”
“Appomattox creates a core long-term hub for Shell in the Norphlet through which we can tie back several already discovered fields as well as future discoveries,” Brown said.
He said optimized development planning, better designs and fabrication, and expert drilling cut costs for Appomattox by more than 40% since 2015.
