Noble Energy's Gunflint Production Starts Firing in US Gulf

Noble Energy Inc. is ramping up production from its Gunflint oil development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

The company said in a press release that it expects gross production from Gunflint of at least 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd); 75 percent of that production is expected to be oil. Noble expects a net amount to its interest of at least 5,000 boepd.

Gunflint marks the company’s fourth successful offshore major project completed within the past nine months, including the start-up of Big Bend and Dantzler in the U.S. Gulf, as well as the non-operated Alba B3 compression platform in Equatorial Guinea, Hodge Walker, vice president Gulf of Mexico and West Africa, said in the July 21 press statement.

“Our drilling and completions teams delivered impressive technical accomplishments on the Gunflint development, including several innovative first time techniques for the industry,” Walker commented in the press release. “The coordination of simultaneous operations, including topside modifications at the floating production system and subsea well activities, in an accomplishment for all involved.”

Located at Mississippi Canyon Block 948, the two-well Gunflint development is a subsea tie-back to the Gulfstar One facility. That facility is owned by Williams Partners L.P. and Marubeni Corporation.

Noble operates the Gunflint field with 31.14 percent working interest. Partners include Ecopetrol America Inc. with 31.50 percent, Samson Offshore Mapleleaf LLC with 19.13 percent, and Marathon Oil Corporation with 18.23 percent.

Noble has been active in the Gulf of Mexico for a number of years. The start of production from Big Bend and Dantzler last year effectively doubled Noble’s production in the U.S. Gulf to 30,000 barrels per day; 85 percent of that production was oil, Ken Fisher, executive VP and CFO with Noble, told attendees at the inaugural J.P. Morgan Energy Conference in June. The company was able to convert Big Bend and Dantzler from discovery to production in two and three years’ time, respectively, through Noble’s exploration expertise and ability to leverage existing Gulf infrastructure.

Big Bend, Dantzler and Gunflint will help Noble move into 2017 with a nice production portfolio in the U.S. Gulf, Fisher commented.



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