Spain's Repsol SA has started up production and processing facilities for the Poseidon gas fields in the Gulf of Cadiz, about 30 km off Huelva, Spain.
Poseidon development drilling got under way last October.
The field's start-up was dedicated last month in a ceremony presided over by the President of the Andalusian autonomous government, Manuel Chaves; Repsol Chairman Alfonso Cortina; and Spain's Secretary of State for Energy, Nemesio Fern ndez Cuesta.
Repsol development
Repsol is operator and sole concession holder for the Poseidon gas field development.
The project entails development of two natural gas fields in Tertiary sandstone at a depth of about 1,500 m in water depths of 75-150 m.
Total Poseidon natural gas reserves are estimated at 1.7 billion cu m.
To date, three wells have been drilled in Poseidon North and South gas fields, reaching a flow rate of more than 1 million cu m/day of natural gas and liquids in production tests.
Production is transported to land in a dual-phase, Y-shaped pipeline system 65 km to the coast. After landfall at Mazag!n, the pipeline extends further to an onshore gas processing plant, which has inlet capacity of 1.5 million cu m/day of gas.
After liquids are recovered and fractionated, the treated gas is shipped through a 5-km pipeline to the state gas distribution network operated by state gas utility Enagas.
Repsol estimates revenues from sales of Poseidon gas at more than 8 billion pesetas/year.
Other potential
Other gas accumulations discovered in the Poseidon area may be developed in the near future.
Repsol estimates these satellite finds could double the gas reserves currently being developed through the Poseidon project. After depletion, tests will be performed to confirm the technical viability of using Poseidon North field as a gas storage site.
Work has been under way on the Poseidon project for more than 2 years, and overall investment has totaled 12 billion pesetas. Poseidon accounts for 80% of Spain's natural gas productive capacity totaling 1.9 million cu m/day.
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