LLOG Exploration Co. LLC has advanced work on the Salamanca project in the Gulf of Mexico.
The project envisages refurbishing a former Gulf of Mexico production platform into a floating production unit (FPU) with a capacity of 60,000 bo/d and 40 MMcfd of natural gas. This approach significantly minimized environmental impact by reusing existing infrastructure and reduced development time, the company said in a project update Jan. 7.
The hull refurbishment was completed at Seatrium in Brownsville, Tex., and delivered to Kiewit’s yard in Ingleside, Tex., on Oct. 17, 2024, the company noted. In early November 2024, the new topside equipment and deck were successfully rejoined to the hull. Final outfitting of the FPU will be completed in early 2025.
The column-stabilized Salamanca FPU will sit in Keathley Canyon Block 689 in 6,400 ft of water to tap the Lower Tertiary Leon and Castile discoveries.
All initial wells to support the unit have been successfully drilled and cased, the operator said. This includes discovery wells drilled at Castile and Leon with additional successful development wells drilled in 2023 and 2024. The final well finished drilling in September 2024 at the Leon Development (Keathley Canyon 686 #4) and encountered greater than 1,000 ft of high quality oil-bearing sands.
The project has a mid-2025 production target.
LLOG is the operator of the Salamanca FPU and the Leon and Castile discoveries with partners Repsol and OG Oil & Gas.
Alex Procyk | Upstream Editor
Alex Procyk is Upstream Editor at Oil & Gas Journal. He has also served as a principal technical professional at Halliburton and as a completion engineer at ConocoPhillips. He holds a BS in chemistry (1987) from Kent State University and a PhD in chemistry (1992) from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).
