California's oldest remaining offshore oil platforms will be dismantled this summer.
Marking a green light for the project after almost a year's delay is Chevron Corp.'s receipt of an air quality permit from the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD).
Platforms Hazel, Heidi, Hilda, and Hope off Santa Barbara County originally were scheduled to be removed last year.
However, faced with nitrogen oxide emissions of 130 tons during the project's 4 month timeframe, APCD held up the permit. In the interim, Chevron was able to cut those projected emissions by about half to 76 tons and obtained the permit late last month.
APCD rules required Chevron to offset emissions from the dismantling project equal to emissions from 30,000 automobiles. It wasn't possible to find that many reductions in 1995, said Chevron project manager Dana Billings, so the project was delayed until this summer to avoid whale migration patterns.
Hazel, installed in 1957 and starting up a year later, marked the first development of a California oil field discovered from an offshore drillsite. Along with Hilda, installed in 1960, it produced 27.6 million bbl of oil and 97.8 bcf of gas from Summerland offshore field before being shut in during August 1992.
Hope was installed in 1964 and Heidi in 1965 in Carpinteria field, also shut in during August 1992. The field produced a cumulative 36.7 million bbl of oil and 40.8 bcf of gas.
In all, 135 wells were plugged. Chevron's partners in the fields are ARCO and Exxon Corp.
Obtaining the permit
Chevron obtained its APCD permit via a "rigorous process" that included reducing emissions from large diesel engines on tugs, barges, compressors, and boats that will be used during the job, said APCD's Peter Cantle.
In addition, Chevron agreed to retrofit five large commercial boats used for fishing and whale watching in Santa Barbara Harbor with low emission, computer controlled diesel engines.
"We've put 150% of our energy into getting these permits," said Lee Bafalon, senior land vice-president for Chevron. Although some groups have proposed that Chevron remove the platforms' topsides and leave subsea structures in place for a "rigs to reefs" program (OGJ, Oct. 17, 1994, p. 8), Bafalon gave the idea two chances: slim to nil. However, California's offshore oil industry is working with the Minerals Management Service on a future rigs to reef program for platforms in federal waters.
American Pacific Marine Inc. (APM), Port Hueneme, Calif., a unit of American Oilfield Divers Inc., Lafay- ette, La., is expected to start work in April and finish platform abandonment by August, avoiding gray whale migration routes.
Chevron let an $8.5 million contract to APM for the work a year ago (OGJ, Mar. 27, 1995, p. 29).
The job requires about 150 workers and divers working around the clock, first to cut off the topsides and jackets. APM then will "shoot the legs" by setting off explosives. The metal will be taken to Long Beach for recycling.
Dismantling the historic platforms is expected to cost about $35 million. All are within the state's 3 mile limit.
After the four platforms are removed, only four producing platforms will remain in California state waters: Platform Holly off Santa Barbara County and Eve, Esther, and Emmy off Huntington Beach and Seal Beach near Long Beach.
Mobil Exploration & Producing Inc. had proposed retiring Holly early as part of a tradeoff for an extended reach drilling project from onshore, dubbed "Clearview." But faced with opposition from the nearby University of California Santa Barbara campus, which owns the land where Mobil planned to put its drilling rig, and better economic opportunities elsewhere, the company recently gave up on the project (OGJ, Feb. 19, p. 26).
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