Shell takes FID on additional Gulf of Mexico pipeline capacity

Shell Pipeline Co. LP has made final investment decision (FID) to proceed with the Rome Pipeline, an offshore pipeline construction project to increase access between Shell's Green Canyon Block 19 (GC-19) pipeline hub platform and the Fourchon Junction terminal on the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

The pipeline, which will run adjacent to existing corridor pipelines and extend about 100 miles in length, will bring additional capacity to Shell's Gulf of Mexico (GoM) footprint, expanding support for domestic oil production in the western and central area of the GoM, the company said in a release Oct. 3.

Additionally, Shell and BP America Production Co. entered into an agreement for the Rome Pipeline to export 100% of the oil production from bp's recently sanctioned Kaskida project in the Keathley Canyon area (OGJ Online, July 31, 2024). Kaskida, bp's sixth hub in the US Gulf of Mexico, will feature a new floating production platform with capacity to produce 80,000 b/d from six wells in the first phase of development. Production is expected to begin in 2029. 

Pending applicable permitting and regulatory agency approvals, the Rome Pipeline is projected to begin operation in 2028.   

Shell's GC-19 platform lies about 75 miles south of the Louisiana coastline in about 750 ft water depth. It currently provides existing pipeline access to the Amberjack, Boxer, Eugene Island, and CHOPS Pipeline systems in the GoM.