TotalEnergies announced the start of drilling of three natural gas wells of the Fénix Project, a major offshore development in collaboration with its partners Wintershall Dea and Pan American Energy (PAE), located 60 km offshore Tierra del Fuego. The company detailed that the drilling of the first horizontal well began on May 24, marking the beginning of the final phase before the project enters production.
Drilling and connection of natural gas wells
According to TotalEnergies’ schedule, drilling and completion activities are expected to take approximately 7 months, after which the wells will be connected. At the same time, Wintershall Dea reported that the production of gas gas production will be transported via a 24-inch subsea multiphase line to the Vega Pleiade platform, located 35 km from the Fénix site. From there, the gas will be piped to the onshore Rio Cullen facility.
On the other hand, natural gas natural gas extracted will be largely processed with local labor and injected into the General San Martín gas pipeline to supply the country’s main urban centers. This project will contribute 10 million m3 of natural gas per day, which will increase Argentina’s total production by 8%.
In addition, the jackup rig Noble Regina Allen, a drilling rig, arrived in the country after a transoceanic transfer of more than 14,000 km from the North Sea in just 35 days. The platform was unloaded in the project’s operating area.
Platform for extreme conditions in the South Atlantic
TotalEnergies emphasized that the equipment chosen for the drilling is industry-leading and prepared to operate in complex weather conditions. This rig has a deck area of 8,570 m², a cargo capacity of 3,500 tons and a drilling depth of 35,000 feet, guaranteeing its autonomy in the challenging conditions of the South Atlantic.
As for the assembly of the offshore offshore platform The assembly was carried out by means of a special system that positioned the unit on the Fénix production structure, installed last February. The drilling team is composed of 120 people, 50% of whom are Argentine professionals.
TotalEnergies, through its subsidiary Total Austral, has been operating in Argentina since 1978 in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons and renewable energies. It currently has 1,100 employees and is the largest private production operator in the country, contributing 25% of the national gas production.
What is the Phoenix Project?
The Fénix Project is a new offshore gas field that is part of the CMA-1 concession, the southernmost in the world, with Wintershall Dea and Total Austral (operator) each holding a 37.5% interest, while PAE owns the remaining 25%. This project is being developed in conjunction with Total Austral’s ongoing operations in the Austral Marine Basin, contributing 15% of Argentina’s natural gas production.
Manfred Boeckmann, Chief Executive Officer of Wintershall Dea expressed his enthusiasm for the progress of the project following the successful installation of the production platform in February and the detailed preparation for the drilling campaign in recent months.
The Fénix Project not only represents an important step in natural gas production for Argentina, but also highlights the country’s ability to develop and manage large offshore energy projects, positioning it as a key player in the global energy market.
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Source: Ambito
Photo: Shutterstock
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