Hindustan Oil Exploration Company Limited has presented an update on status of installation of facilities completed in B-80 field and installation works procrastinated because of cyclone and the onset of monsoon:
- Offshore Installation, a jack up rig (Key Gibraltar) transformed as an offshore processing unit has been effectively installed in the field and is ready to accept the oil and gas for processing from the subsea wells.
- Flow lines have been laid and linked to the wells and the offshore processing unit. Likewise, the control umbilical to the trees of subsea wells and the processing unit are duly laid, connected and tested.
- Gas export pipeline from offshore processing unit to the present gas pipeline of ONGC to Hazira Terminal has been laid and hot tapped with ONGC line, which fulfils the requirements of gas evacuation.
- Oil export pipeline from the offshore processing unit to the Pipeline End Manifold (PLEM) has been done and connected to the PLEM. The under-buoy hose is installed and organized to connect to the Calm Buoy.
- Calm Buoy was to be moored with six pile anchors and all the six piles have been driven to the essential depth with anchor chains and are ready to moor the calm buoy.
Following to the cyclone and the onset of monsoon, the connection of anchors chains to the calm buoy was not possible due to the following reasons:
a) We had to evacuate due to cyclone Tauktae while making the first attempt to attach the anchor chains to buoy to ensure the safety of personnel and the vessels in operation.
b) After the cyclone, a second attempt was made to connect the anchor chains to the buoy to complete the mooring, which was not possible because of poor under water visibility and the picking up of adverse weather due to the onset of monsoon.
Till the calm buoy is installed and pre-tensioned with anchors, the Floating Storage Offshore (FSO) cannot be moored to receive and store the oil. Consequently, the production cannot commence till the calm buoy is fully moored and the hose is connected to the calm buoy. This work would take about to 7-10 days at offshore and is likely to be completed once the monsoon is over. Hence, the first oil from the field is delayed to the third quarter of this fiscal year.
With regard to the increase in 10% of Participating Interest to 60% in B-80 field, the modification to Revenue Sharing Contract ("RSC") is being followed with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
