A front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract has been signed for the Anchois gas development project. Energy firm Chariot and the Schlumberger-Subsea 7 consortium signed the deal for the Lixus license project.
The offshore components covered by the contract include well completions, subsea production systems (SPS), underwater umbilicals, risers, and flowlines (SURF). Subsea Integration Alliance will implement these works while Schlumberger will carry out the onshore component. The latter includes the installation of a central processing facility (CPF), as well as flow lines and controls from the CPF to the shore crossing.
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Also covered by the agreement is the generation of deliverables, such as the costs and schedules for engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and commissioning (EPCIC), which are necessary before making final investment decisions (FID).
The agreement additionally gives Chariot the opportunity to work directly with Schlumberger and Subsea 7 to procure EPCIC services for the field development and operations and maintenance (O & M) of the facilities during the early stages of production and commissioning.
In order to facilitate the front-end design, engineering, procurement, construction, installation, and operation of the Anchois development, Chariot and the Subsea Integration Alliance inked a collaboration agreement back in February 2021.
Chariot emphasis on unity to speed up the Anchois gas development project
In order to speed up first gas safely and maximize return on investment, Chariot stated that the three companies will continue to work as a single team.
Adonis Pouroulis, CEO of Chariot Limited, stated that the signing of this deal with Schlumberger and Subsea 7 is additional proof that the company has expedited development plans for the Anchois Gas Project, a major pillar of its most recent fundraising.
He stated that they look forward to strengthening the relationship and reaping the benefits of integrated project execution. He added that time to first gas will be shortened thanks to fewer interfaces, fewer contingencies, and greater control over offshore construction schedules and procurement.
Anchois Gas Development Project Overview
Anchois gas development is an offshore gas project that is being carried out in the Tanger-Larache exploration area of the Lixus license. Located approximately 40km off the coast of Morocco, in the Atlantic Ocean, the Lixus license spans across an area of approximately 2,390km² with water depths ranging up to 850m.
The project is divided into phases. The first phase includes the drilling of four production wells, which will be tied into a subsea manifold. One of the four wells is expected to be drilled during the appraisal stage and later completed as a producer.
Additionally, the first phase will involve the installation of a 14in-diameter, 40km-long subsea flowline with a control umbilical to the subsea manifold. An onshore central processing facility for exporting gas and a 14in-diameter onshore pipeline for gas export will also be constructed as part of this phase.
Phase two of the Anchois gas development project will include additional wells to tie in the Anchois W, Anchois WSW, and Anchois SW areas of the field into the subsea manifold. This phase will be financed using the cash flow generated from its predecessor’s production.
March 2021
Anchois Gas Development project in Morocco brings together 3 international energy companies
Anchois Gas Development project located in the Lixus Offshore Licence, on Morocco’s Atlantic coast has brought together three international energy companies notably Chariot Oil & Gas through its subsidiary Chariot Oil & Gas Holdings (Morocco) Limited, and Subsea 7 S.A. as well as OneSubsea, through their non-incorporated strategic global alliance known as the Subsea Integration Alliance.
According to the London headquartered Oil and Gas company (Chariot), a collaboration agreement has already been signed. This will enable the companies to work together on the front-end engineering support and engineering design work, as well as the engineering, procurement, construction, installation, pre-commissioning, and commissioning work, in addition to the operations and maintenance of the Anchois Gas Development project.
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Subsea Integration Alliance CEO’s comment
“We are excited to be starting a journey with Chariot on the exciting Anchois gas development in Morocco. We believe the Subsea Integration Alliance “One-team” collaboration with Chariot will help unlock the planning and execution of the development and uncover the true value of the project for all the stakeholders,” commented Stuart Fitzgerald, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Subsea Integration Alliance.
Chariot has a 75% interest and operatorship in the Anchois Gas Development while the Moroccan government through the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) or other the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines in English, owns the remaining 25% interest.
According to the operator of the project, the audited total remaining recoverable resource (2C and 2U) for the Anchois gas discovery exceeds 1 trillion cubic feet, with methane constituting 97 percent of sampled gas.
Dec 2021
Drilling Works at Anchovy Gas Project Site in Morocco Begins
Drilling works have begun at Anchovy Gas Project site in Lixus license, Morocco, according to Chariot Limited, following the arrival of the Stena Don drilling rig that was leased by the Africa-based transitional energy company, formerly known as Chariot Oil and Gas, from Stena Drilling Limited last November.
Chariot Limited is the operator and a 75% interest holder of the Lixus license that covers 2390 kilometer2 and has a natural gas potential estimated at over a trillion cubic feet. Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) holds 25% of the remaining interests.
The Stena Don drilling rig will drill the Anchois-2 gas appraisal and exploration well and re-enter the previously drilled Anchois-1 gas discovery well. The works are expected to take up to approximately 40 days.
The objective of the Anchovy Gas Project drilling works
The Anchovy Gas Project’s Anchois-2 gas appraisal and exploration well drilling works aim to unlock the development of the discovered sands by confirming the gas resource volumes, reservoir quality, and well productivity.
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It also aims to provide a future production well for the development of the field and deepen the appraisal well into additional low-risk exploration targets with the aim of establishing a larger resource base for longer-term growth.
The objectives of Anchois-1 gas discovery well on the other hand are to assess the integrity of the previously drilled well, evaluate the productivity and gas characteristics of the discovered gas sand, and provide a second future production well for the development of the field.
Plans for the Anchovy Gas
Once the expected reserves are interspersed, Chariot plans to sell 40 million cubic feet of this gas annually over 20 years, according to the take-or-pay model, to a partner whose identity has not yet been revealed.
The rest of the gas produced on-site could be injected into the North African country’s electricity production circuits.
