Page 49: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Nov/Dec 2019)

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OPERATIONS AT MAD DOG 2 to save rig time

By Jennifer Pallanich ith the Argos Johnston says. “We’ve taken a big semisubmers- step toward making sure these wells ible due to be- are ready in time for when the facility gin production to shows up.” from BP’s Mad Seadrill’s West Auriga, under con-

W

Dog ? eld in late 2021, the drilling tract to BP through October 2020, team needed to ensure the drilling batch drilled the wells and will carry campaign stayed on schedule. out some of the batch completions.

BP did this by dedicating and inte- Another rig will begin a contract in grating experienced drilling engineers the second quarter of 2020 to ? nish and geoscientists to plan, monitor and the completions program.

respond during the execution. The wells will produce oil and

Overall, BP plans to develop Mad gas to the Argos semi, which will

Dog 2 in the Gulf of Mexico with 14 be moored in 4,500 feet of water production and eight injection wells. in Green Canyon block 782. Argos

Of those, BP has promised to have nameplate production is 140,000 eight production and two injection barrels per day of oil and 75 million wells teed up when the facility arrives cubic feet per day of gas.

at the ? eld in June 2021. “Will we have that capacity in the “We can’t maximize the ef? ciency ground? We think so. Do we know of the facility if all the wells aren’t how these wells are going to ? ow? No. drilled,” says Paul Johnston, Mad We’ll have to turn them on,” Johnston

Dog reservoir development area man- says. “We haven’t done the comple- ager. “We’re trying to manage an early tions. It’s oil and gas, lots of things can arrival of the facility.” happen. But we feel comfortable that

As of mid-November, Johnston we may have an extra well in the bank says, the team is set up to deliver nine from what we’ve promised. It’s an in- production and four injection wells surance policy if a well doesn’t show on time if completions go as expected. up the way we expect.” “We have completed the pre- The Mad Dog 2 project has been drills,” says Emeka Emembolu, vice a long time coming. BP originally president reservoir development for found what was thought to be a pool the Gulf of Mexico. of 1 billion barrels of oil in place at

The drilling campaign targeting the Mad Dog prospect in the deepwa- the Miocene sands has “gone well,” ter Gulf of Mexico in 1998. First oil nOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 OFFSHORE ENGINEER 49