UK-based energy giant and LNG player BP started gas production from the first two fields, Taurus and Libra, of the West Nile Delta development in Egypt.
The project was delivered eight months ahead of start-up schedule BP said, adding that the first gas was exported to Egypt’s national grid on 24 March 2017 and the commissioning of all nine wells of the development’s first two fields and ramp up to stable operations has now been completed.
The West Nile Delta development, which includes five gas fields across the North Alexandria and West Mediterranean Deepwater offshore concession blocks, is being developed as two separate projects to enable BP and its partners to accelerate gas production commitments to Egypt.
When fully onstream in 2019, combined production from both projects is expected to reach up to almost 1.5 billion cubic feet a day (bcf/d), equivalent to about 30 percent of Egypt’s current gas production. All the gas produced will be fed into the national gas grid.
Following final approval in 2015, development of the first project, involving the Taurus and Libra fields, was fast-tracked to enable delivery of an annual average of more than 600 million standard cubic feet of gas a day (mmscf/d) to the Egyptian national gas grid.
The fields are currently producing more than 700mmscf/d sales gas and 1000 barrels per day (bbls/d) condensate which is 20 percent higher than the planned sales gas plateau.
Speaking of the production start, BP’s CEO, Bob Dudley said that “in total, the West Nile Delta project will account for around a quarter of the new production we expect by 2020.”
The second West Nile Delta project, involving development of the Giza, Fayoum and Raven fields, is currently ahead of schedule, BP said.
The project will involve twelve wells and two deep-water long distance subsea tie-backs to the shore with the production expected to start in 2019.