Page 6 - LatAmOil Week 42 2022

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Woodside moves towards starting

development work at Trion oilfield

AUSTRALIA’S Woodside Energy is report- preparation for possibly making a final invest-
edly taking a major step toward launching the ment decision (FID) on the Trion project next
development of Trion, the ultra-deepwater year.
field located off the coast of the Mexican state of As for the FSO, Upstream Online’s sources
Tamaulipas that it gained earlier this year via the indicated that Woodside intended to build
acquisition of BHP’s petroleum assets. on the work that BHP had already carried out
Market sources told Upstream Online earlier before handing its petroleum assets over to
this week that Woodside was once again look- the former company. They reported that BHP
ing to source the two large surface production had selected Altera Infrastructure (UK), BW
units that it will need to develop Trion – namely, Offshore (Norway) and SBM Offshore (Neth-
a floating storage and off-loading (FSO) facil- erlands) to compete for a pre-front-end engi-
ity and a semi-submersible floating processing neering and design (FEED) contract.
facility. The Dutch company had previously
With respect to the 40,000-tonne semi-sub- appeared to be the front-runner, they noted, but
mersible unit, they said the company aimed to it has stopped seeking out new contracts in Mex-
sign a contract with a supplier capable of deliv- ico since last year. As such, they said, new com-
ering a vessel that could handle up to 100,000 petitors may enter the race this year – including
barrels per day (bpd) of oil and 145mn cubic feet MODEC’s Sofec subsidiary and National Oil-
(4.106mn cubic metres) per day of gas. well Varco’s US-based APL subsidiary, both of
Woodside has already drafted a list of four which are, like SBM, capable of designing FSOs
potential suppliers for the semi-submersible with disconnectable turret mooring systems
vessel, according to the sources. They named that can cope with hurricane conditions.
Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine and South The Trion field lies in an ultra-deepwater sec-
Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries and Hyun- tion of the Gulf of Mexico, about 180 km from
dai Heavy Industries as the top three contenders the shore and 30 km south of the US-Mexico
and said Japan’s MODEC was behind the oth- maritime border in 2,500-metre-deep water.
ers, in fourth place. The Australian company is It will eventually yield up to 100,000 bpd of oil
believed to have asked the contenders to turn in and is expected to begin production in the mid-
proposals by January 2023, they added. 2020s at the earliest.
Woodside, for its part, has confirmed in its Equity in the Trion project is split between
third-quarter performance report that it has Woodside, with 60%, and Mexico’s national
sent out a bid package for the floating produc- oil company (NOC) Pemex, with 40%. BHP
tion unit to potential contractors. It also said in discovered oil at the block in 2012 and has esti-
the same report that it would tender other key mated its reserves at 500mn barrels of oil equiv-
scopes of work in the fourth quarter of 2022 in alent (boe). ™

Trion is not far south of the US-Mexico maritime border (Image: BHP)

P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 42 19•October•2022