Friday, March 23, 2007

Producing Projects: White Rose

This is the last article on current energy producing projects recently published in the Natural Resources Magazine supplement to Atlantic Business Magazine. To follow is my article on energy projects to come.

------------------------------

Initially discovered in 1984, White Rose is the most recent East Coast offshore project, producing first oil in November 2005. White Rose is actually a field of three pools: North, West and South Avalon.

The initial White Rose development is located in a water depth of 120 metres, some 350 kilometres east of St. John’s in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin. Its purpose-built ice-strengthened FPSO (the SeaRose, similar in design to that of Terra Nova) was designed to deliver the South Avalon pool’s approximately 200 250 million barrels of recoverable oil. The SeaRose stores almost a million barrels onboard and offloads to two chartered tankers that ship its light, sweet crude to world markets.

During the second quarter of 2006, production rates through four wells were kept at an average of 85,000 bpd until the fifth production well came on stream, increasing production to 110,000 bpd. A sixth well is scheduled to come on stream at the end of 2006, which, on confirmation of the facility’s throughput capacity, would increase production to 125,000 bpd.

Husky’s 2006 delineation program increased White Rose recoverable reserve estimates by some 190 million barrels. The North pool is thought to hold approximately 120 million barrels while the west is believed to contain 70 million, bringing the total estimated reserves close to 425 million barrels. Further wells are planned in 2007 to confirm resource estimates.

The southern extension of the White Rose field has seen drilling since 2003, yielding another pool. Husky expects to develop this area using a subsea tieback to the SeaRose FPSO in late 2009 subject to regulatory approval.

No comments: