Project Profile
Value: US$1,000 million
Location: 130km northeast of Alexandria, Mediterranean Sea, Egypt
Start-up Year: August 2009
Gas Reserves: unknown
Water depth: 70m to 570m
On/offshore: Offshore
Stream: Upstream
Project status: Producing
The Sequoia subsea development is located 130km northeast of Alexandria in the Mediterranean Sea and lies in water depths ranging from 70m to 570m, across the boundary of the West Delta Deep Marine (WDDM) and Rosetta concessions, which were awarded in 1995. BG Group holds a 62.99% unit interest in Sequoia. Petronas and Edison International hold 28.35% and 8.6%.
The US$1 billion project consists of six subsea wells, three in each concession. South Sequoia includes the wells in Rosetta and North Sequoia comprises those in the WDDM. The main reservoirs in the WDDM are Plio-Pleistocene and Pliocene sands, which extend north-east to offshore Gaza and offshore Israel, and are said to contain 7.8Tcf of recoverable gas. The field is expected to have a life of 25 years.
Sequoia was sanctioned in Q2 2008, and first gas was produced in early August 2009.
The Sequoia subsea facilities are tied back to both Rosetta and WDDM concession facilities, with hydrocarbons exported via both concessions. On the Rashid facility in Rosetta, production from the three new South Sequoia wells is commingled in a new subsea manifold and exported about 23km via a 22in pipeline to an existing manifold (Rashid M1). The pipeline was tied into a pre-installed spare connection on Rashid M1.
The Sequoia development was managed by Burullus Gas, the WDDM joint operating company formed by BG (25%), the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC, 50%) and Edison (25%) to undertake exploration and field development operations on behalf of the WDDM concession holders. The main subsea engineering procurement installation and construction (EPIC) contract was awarded to Italy’s Saipem, which subcontracted EGPC affiliate Petrojet to complete most of the structures’ fabrication and all concrete pipe coating. Most of the marine activities were carried out by Saipem’s FDS vessel using J-lay and S-lay to match the operational environment.
Operators:
Jointly operated:
BG: 25% interest
Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC): 50% interest
Edison: 25% interest
Contractors:
Saipem: EPIC contract
Subcontractors:
Petrojet: Structures’ fabrication and concrete pipe coating