Total (Paris:FP) (LSE:TTA) (NYSE:TOT) announces that its
subsidiary Total Upstream Nigeria Limited (TUPNI), operator of the
OML 130 block, has started production from its Akpo deep water
development ahead of the planned start-up date. With proved and
probable reserves estimated at 620 millions barrels of condensate
(around 50° API), and more than 1 tera cubic feet (tcf)* of gas,
Akpo is one of the largest deep offshore projects ever undertaken
and will be the largest brought on stream in 2009.
This start-up provides further evidence of the Group's capacity
to meet the technology challenges of deep offshore, an area in
which Total's track record is already ranked among world
leaders.
The ramp up of production to 175,000 barrels per day of
condensate and 320 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) gas
plateau is expected to be reached during summer 2009.
Akpo will allow the commercialisation of significant quantities
of gas, which are exported towards the Amenam hub, enhancing
Total's capacity to supply gas to the domestic market and to the
NLNG liquefaction plant.
"This early start-up for Akpo demonstrates the dedication of the
teams involved in delivering such a complex, yet technologically
sound project", declared Yves-Louis Darricarrère, President
Exploration and Production. "This development will bring additional
hydrocarbon resources whilst contributing to the development of
local communities."
TUPNI has a 24% interest alongside the OML 130 partners: NNPC
(Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation), Sapetro (South Atlantic
Petroleum) of Nigeria, CNOOC Ltd. of China and Petrobras of Brazil.
The field, discovered in the year 2000, is located 200 kilometres
from the Nigerian coastline in water depth ranging from 1,200 to
1,400 metres.
About the people involved
In Nigeria, as in all countries in which the Group operates,
Total assumes its responsibility towards the local communities and
the environment. Ensuring the safety of people who work on its
sites, enhancing living conditions in host countries and reducing
the impact of its activities on the environment are the key themes
of the Group's commitment to sustainable development.
The Akpo project, in which the Group displayed its expertise to
ensure sustainable development of the country's energy resources in
the deep offshore, has generated more than 11 million manhours in
Nigeria to date, which is a record, and will generate up to an
overall total of 15 million manhours in Nigeria by the time it is
complete.
About the technology involved
The field development requires 44 wells (22 producers, 20 water
injectors and 2 gas injectors), out of which 22 have already been
drilled. The subsea infrastructures, transporting the hydrocarbon
effluents, consist of 110 kilometres of a complex array of high
pressure-high temperature subsea flowlines connected by Steel
Catenary Risers (SCR) pipe sections to a Floating Production
Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO). The 100,000 tons dry weight
FPSO, maintained on location by 12 anchor lines, houses the surface
treatment facilities and is designed to process 185,000 barrels per
day and store up to 2 million barrels of stabilised liquid
hydrocarbons. Those in turn are exported through a single point
mooring oil terminal, located 2 kilometres away.
The design of Akpo complies with the Nigerian government's
"Flare out" regulation, and is in line with Total's strategy of
reducing flaring. Furthermore, in order to optimise gas
utilisation, Akpo has been designed as a hybrid development capable
of handling up to 530 mmscfd of high pressure gas out of which 185
will be re-injected into the reservoir to maximise hydrocarbon
recovery and 320 will be exported by pipeline. This will make Akpo
an essential contributor to Total's growth strategy in the gas
industry, enabling additional supply to the domestic market and to
the NLNG gas liquefaction plant.
Total E&P Nigeria
Total has been operating in Nigeria for close to 50 years.
Total's operated production in Nigeria came up to now from the OML
58, 99, 100 and 102 blocks as part of a joint venture with NNPC.
The main fields are Obagi, Obite, Amenam-Kpono, Ofon and Odudu area
fields.
Total has other significant equity production in Nigeria from
its interests in non-operated ventures, particularly the SPDC joint
venture (10%) and SNEPCO (12.5%), which includes the Bonga field.
Total also holds a 15% interest in NLNG, with a current LNG
production capacity of 21.9 million metric tons per year.
Developing the country's deep offshore resources is one of the
Group's main growth drivers in Africa. Near Akpo in the OML 130,
lies the Egina field whose basic engineering studies are about to
start. Additionally, the development of the OML 138 deep offshore
Usan field was launched in early 2008 and the field is expected to
come on stream in 2011.
Total is committed to promoting the development of the local
communities through its activities, and has actively encouraged its
contractors to use Nigerian content wherever possible, over and
above local regulations. The Usan project will follow suit with
approximately 60% of manhours planned to be performed in Nigeria.
The basic engineering studies of Egina field on OML 130, the third
deep offshore development of Total in Nigeria, will be performed in
Nigeria. The group will continue to develop the expertise of
Nigerian companies in deep offshore project-related work. This is
particularly the case in the Niger Delta region, from which more
than half of Total's Nigerian employees come and where the majority
of the Group's operations in the country are located.
Total, one of the largest oil majors in Africa, is active in
terms of production in Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Gabon, Libya, and
the Republic of Congo.
*1012 cubic feet
* * * * *
Total is one of the world's major oil and gas groups, with
activities in more than 130 countries. Its 96,000 employees put
their expertise to work in every part of the industry - exploration
and production of oil and natural gas, refining and marketing, gas
& power and trading. Total is working to keep the world
supplied with energy, both today and tomorrow. The Group is also a
first rank player in chemicals. www.total.com
TOTAL S.A.
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