Energy

The Ichthys LNG Project reached a major milestone on July 27 with the opening of the first offshore production well, marking the start of 40 years of operations of this gas and condensate field.

On 23 July 2018, Shell Exploration and Production Mauritania (C-10) B.V. and Shell Exploration and Production Mauritania (C-19) B.V. (“Shell”) signed two Production Sharing Contracts with the government of Mauritania for the exploration and potential future production of hydrocarbons in the offshore blocks C-10 and C-19.

According to a recent article by Jordan Blum in Houston Chronicle, oil industry analysts and executives fear a looming global supply crunch is on the horizon, even as Texas and other parts of the nation keep churning out more oil than ever.

The UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country has been exploring how ocean energy has evolved in Ireland during the 20th century to determine how the converters would need to be adapted.

The President of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), Randall Luthi, issued the following statement regarding the Department of the Interior’s proposed rule changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Beatrice, Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm, started generating power for the first time on July 19. Following the successful installation of the first 7MW turbine, Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited has exported power to the National Grid for the first time. The installation of the first turbine heralds the start of the final stage of Beatrice’s journey towards completion in Spring 2019.

As of January 1, 2018, U.S. operable atmospheric crude distillation capacity totaled 18.6 million barrels per calendar day (b/cd), a slight decrease of 0.1% since the beginning of 2017 according to EIA’s annual Refinery Capacity Report. Annual operable crude oil distillation unit (CDU) capacity had increased slightly in each of the five years before 2018.

According to the latest information from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), 20 development projects are currently under way on the Norwegian Shelf, and 13 exploration wells in the first half of 2018 have yielded 6 discoveries. Production, however, has been somewhat lower in the first six months of the year as compared with the same period last year.

A new study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine identifies strategies for improving the reliability of bolts used in offshore oil and gas drilling rigs.

In support of President Donald J. Trump's America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will offer approximately 78 million acres offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida for oil and gas exploration and development.

Following a European tender procedure, TenneT TSO B.V. has selected Petrofac to construct an offshore transformer station (platform) for the Hollandse Kust (zuid) Alpha wind farm zone. Petrofac is also the preferred contractor for TenneT’s next offshore project, the Hollandse Kust (zuid) Beta platform.

Mozambique Rovuma Venture has submitted the development plan to the government for the first phase of the Rovuma LNG project, which will produce, liquefy and market natural gas from the Mamba fields located in the Area 4 block offshore Mozambique.