By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, May 2 -- ExxonMobil Corp. unit Esso Exploration & Production Nigeria Ltd. has started production from deepwater Erha oil and gas field off Nigeria.
The field lies in 1,200 m of water on Block 209, about 100 miles southeast of Lagos (OGJ, Nov. 4, 2002, Newsletter).
The development includes Erha and Erha North, a satellite development expected to come on stream in the third quarter. This is Esso's first operated production from the block.
Erha production is to ramp up to 150,000 b/d by the third quarter, and Erha North is expected to produce 40,000 b/d by yearend. Associated gas production will be about 300 MMcfd, which will be reinjected for reservoir management.
The Erha and Erha North developments consist of 32 subsea wells tied to a floating, production, storage, and offloading vessel. Total cost, including facilities and drilling, is estimated at $3.5 billion.
Erha field may contain 1 billion bbl of reserves, ExxonMobil said when the September 1999 appraisal well, Erha-2, was spudded. Drilled to 12,287 ft TD, the well flowed 2,800 b/d of oil on test (OGJ, Jan. 3, 2000, p. 31).
Operator Esso holds a 56.25% interest in the block under a production sharing contract with Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. Shell Nigeria Exploration & Production Co. Ltd. holds 43.75%.
