East Coast Marine Area |
Block 5(c) |
North Coast Marine Area |
Central Block |
Atlantic LNG |
Operations Map
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- Signed farm-in to Block 5(c) and began drilling programme
- Victory and Bounty wells on Block 5(c) successful
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BG Group has been operating in Trinidad and Tobago since 1989, and reinforces its position as a key gas producer in the country. BG Group currently supplies gas to the domestic market and to Atlantic LNG. In 2007, two thirds of production was exported as LNG with the remainder going to the domestic market.
Key dates
1996
First Dolphin production
1999
Atlantic LNG Train 1 operational
2001
Hibiscus platform installed
2002
Atlantic LNG Train 2 start-up
2003
Atlantic LNG Train 3 start-up
2004
Acquisition of Central Block
2005
Manatee-1 discovery
Atlantic LNG Train 4 start-up
2006
Dolphin Deep onstream
2007
Agreement signed for 220 mmscfd supply to NGC
NCMA full unitisation completed
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| EAST COAST MARINE AREA (ECMA) |
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The BG Group-operated Dolphin gas field, located 83 kilometres off the east coast of Trinidad in Block 6(b), commenced production in 1996. The asset is contracted to supply 275 mmscfd gas to the National Gas Company (NGC) under a 20 year supply contract together with 100 mmscfd to Atlantic Train 3 and 120 mmscfd to Atlantic Train 4. An additional domestic contract will start in 2009.
The gas is produced under a Combined Development Plan for the fields in Blocks 5(a), 6 and E. Production is currently delivered from the Dolphin field through eight platform wells and the Dolphin Deep field from two sub-sea wells. These wells were the first sub-sea completions in Trinidad and Tobago and came onstream in July 2006. The Dolphin Deep sub-sea facilities are tied back to upgraded facilities on the Dolphin platform.
ECMA gas is delivered to NGC via a pipeline to the Poui platform where it connects to the domestic network. Gas is delivered to Atlantic LNG through a second offshore pipeline bringing gas from the Dolphin platform to shore at the Beachfield receiving terminal. It then connects to NGC’s 76 kilometre onshore Cross Island Pipeline (CIP) extending from Beachfield to Atlantic LNG at Point Fortin.
In May 2007, BG Group signed an agreement to supply 220 mmscfd of gas to NGC for up to 15 years, commencing in 2009. Drilling of five further development wells in the Dolphin field to enable delivery of this new supply commenced in April 2008.
In 2005, BG Group and partner Chevron completed the Manatee-1 well in Block 6(d) in the ECMA, which indicated gross reserves of 1.6 tcf. This was a significant gas discovery and demonstrated the extension of the Loran field from Venezuela into Block 6(d) in Trinidad and Tobago. In March 2007, the Governments of Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago signed a Framework Unitisation Treaty for cross-border developments.
In August 2007, BG Group signed a farm-in agreement with Canadian Superior Energy Inc. for Block 5(c), 94 kilometres off the east coast of Trinidad. Under the terms of the agreement, BG Group has taken a 30% working interest in the PSC.
The first well of the current three well programme completed drilling on the Victory prospect in February 2008 and is considered to be a gas condensate discovery. A second well, Bounty, was spudded in February 2008 and drilled a separate prospect, approximately 3.5 kilometres away from the Victory well. The Bounty well is a gas discovery.
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| NORTH COAST MARINE AREA (NCMA) |
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The BG Group-operated NCMA development, located 40 kilometres off the north coast of Trinidad, includes six gas fields: Hibiscus, Poinsettia, Chaconia, Ixora, Heliconia and Bougainvillea. In 2000, a Unitisation Agreement was signed with Petrotrin for development of these fields and this was amended in 2007 to allow development of all accumulations within the NCMA Unit Area. In December 2000, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago approved the development of the first three fields. These fields are being developed in up to four phases to supply gas to Atlantic LNG Trains 2, 3 and 4.
The Hibiscus platform was installed in 2001, in a water depth of 150 metres, together with a 107 kilometre pipeline from NCMA to Atlantic LNG at Point Fortin. De-bottlenecking in 2003 increased the capacity of the pipeline to 30% above the original design.
The Ixora prospect was drilled and successfully completed in 2003 as part of drilling operations on the Hibiscus and Chaconia fields.
The H-4 well was drilled and completed as the first sub-sea well on the north coast of Trinidad and was successfully brought into production in 2006. Three additional infill sub-sea wells were drilled and successfully brought into production during December 2006 and January 2007 in Chaconia and Eastern Hibiscus as part of Phase 3b of the NCMA development.
The next phases of activity in the NCMA include the development of the Poinsettia field as part of Phase 3c and accessing Heliconia and Bougainvillea fields as part of Phase 3d. These phases involve building a new platform, drilling up to six wells from the platform and one sub-sea well. Topsides for the new platform are the largest to have been fabricated locally to date. The sub-sea well was successfully completed and tested in 2008. First gas from Phase 3c is expected to be onstream at the end of 2008. A new 20 inch pipeline will connect the new platform to the existing Hibiscus Platform some 20 kilometres away. An appraisal well on the Celosia field was completed in 2007, tested in 2008 and the data is currently under review.
In 2002, BG Group and its partners announced first gas production from the NCMA Hibiscus field into Atlantic Train 2. NCMA is contracted to supply 240 mmscfd gas to Train 2 for up to 20 years, in addition to 125 mmscfd to Train 3 for the first two years, reducing thereafter to 45 mmscfd. Production into Train 3 started in 2003 and NCMA has consistently produced at rates approximately 12% above the original DCQ for both Atlantic LNG Trains 2 and 3. NCMA started to supply gas to Atlantic LNG Train 4 in 2005. The Train 4 supply contract is for approximately 80 mmscfd.
BG Group holds a 65% interest and operatorship of this 111 square kilometre block. State-owned company Petrotrin holds the remaining 35% under an Exploration and Production Licence, which was renegotiated and signed in 2006. The discoveries in the block include the currently producing Carapal Ridge field, as well as Baraka, Baraka East and Corosan.
BG Group currently supplies 20 mmscfd gas and approximately 1 000 bopd condensate to Petrotrin, for use in its refinery at Pointeà- Pierre. Gas is transported via a 12 kilometre pipeline that connects to the NGC network.
A new gas plant with a capacity of approximately 65 mmscfd was commissioned in September 2007, near the existing production site at Carapal Ridge. This increased capacity supplies approximately 23 mmscfd to BG Group’s capacity in Atlantic LNG Train 4 in addition to the supply to Petrotrin’s refinery.
Pre-sanction studies are currently ongoing for the development of the Baraka and Baraka East discoveries. 3D seismic acquired over 85 square kilometres of Central Block area during 2007 is currently being assessed.
The Atlantic LNG Company of Trinidad and Tobago, in which BG Group is a shareholder, constructed its first LNG plant at Point Fortin, south-west Trinidad which began operating in 1999.
The first train produces 3.1 mtpa LNG which is sold to markets in the north-east United States, Puerto Rico and Spain. Train 2 commenced production in 2002 and Train 3 in 2003, with the additional two trains producing on average a total of 6.6 mtpa.
With the completion of the 5.2 mtpa Train 4 in December 2005, the total LNG production capacity of Atlantic LNG is approximately 15 mtpa.
Train 4 is one of the world’s largest liquefaction facilities, with an inlet capacity of circa 800 mmscfd of which BG Group and its upstream partners supply 28.89%.
The LNG produced from gas supplied to Trains 2 and 3 by BG Group and its partners is sold to BG Gas Marketing (BGGM), a wholly owned BG Group subsidiary, under a longterm contract for import into the Elba Island LNG receiving terminal in Georgia, USA.
LNG produced from the BG Group liquefaction capacity in Train 4 is sold under a long-term contract to BGGM for delivery into the US market via the Lake Charles import terminal in Louisiana.
Atlantic LNG Trains 2, 3 and 4 represent fully integrated projects for BG Group, involving the production and liquefaction of gas in Trinidad and Tobago, the shipping of LNG to the USA and the subsequent regasification for onward sale into the US market. In 2007, Atlantic LNG supplied 58% of US imports of LNG.