Bp, the British oil major, through its Trinidad and Tobago subsidiary, announced this week it had safely delivered first gas from a subsea gas field. The delivery was a major milestone due to the complexities of the field and the technology required to develop it.
The project involved is the Bp Trinidad and Tobago’s (bpTT) Matapal, the company’s second subsea development. According to the statement, the field includes three wells, which tie back into the existing Juniper platform. Such connection helps to minimize development costs and the associated carbon footprint.
Moreover, the Matapal project is located approximately 80km off the southeast coast of Trinidad. It is also about 8km east of Juniper, in a water depth of 163 meters. This first delivery is also a milestone, as the company reached it ahead of schedule and under budget. It did so despite the challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, the company’s intent is to bring natural gas to the Trinidad and Tobago market from resources discovered by the Savannah exploration well, drilled in 2017. The initial production from this development will be in the range of 250-350 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd); once all wells are fully ramped up, according to the statement.
On the other hand, development work on Matapal began back in 2019. However, to deliver gas from it, bpTT required notification to the Juniper platform, as well as the construction of a new subsea installation.
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bp Trinidad and Tobago the country’s largest hydrocarbons producer
Worth noting, much of the fabrication work that the project needed to adapt the Juniper platform for subsea production came from local sources. Such works will allow transporting the hydrocarbons from Matapal to Juniper via two 9 km flexible flowlines.
In addition, about the relevance and the milestone of the Matapal project, Claire Fitzpatrick, president bpTT, said. “Natural gas will play an important role in the energy transition and to the economy of Trinidad and Tobago for decades to come.”
She also remarked. “Our team at bpTT has worked diligently to safely start up our Matapal project, which we successfully achieved both under budget and ahead of schedule. We are committed to a strong energy future in Trinidad and Tobago, and this project plays a critical role in delivering that.”
Finally, bpTT has become the country’s largest hydrocarbon producer. In fact, it operates 15 offshore production platforms, which account for about 55% of the nation’s gas production.
