Houston-based GATE Energy has been selected as the provider for facility commissioning of the Salamanca project in the US Gulf of Mexico for producer LLOG Exploration.
The scope of this work includes precommissioning and commissioning planning and execution at both the onshore fabrication site and offshore. The GATE commissioning team also will support initial startup activities offshore, the company said in a press release.
"This Salamanca award exemplifies our relationship and partnership with LLOG following our success on the Delta House project. GATE Energy continues to enjoy our strong position in the commissioning segment with 10 major deepwater commissioning projects awarded to us in just the past 9 years," Mark Myhre, president of GATE Commissioning, said in the release.
"Our culture and backlog are strong with the investment in our people and processes continuing to show dividends," he said. "We look forward to ensuring LLOG succeeds on Salamanca and are excited for the future of our people, clients, and industry."
LLOG is repurposing the existing Independence Hub facility, renamed Salamanca.
Keppel AmFELS, a subsidiary of Keppel Offshore and Marine, was awarded a contract by LLOG for the refurbishment of the facility, with scope of work to include demolition, hull modifications, and upgrades to key systems. The work is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2024, the company said in a press release.
Because the facility is being upgraded and modified from the previously decommissioned production facility, the time, cost, and materials to be used are greatly reduced compared with the construction of a new facility, Keppel said.
It noted that the project will have a positive environment, social, and governance effect because it would reduce about 70% in carbon emissions compared with a newbuild and circumvents the scrapping of an old unit.
Audubon Engineering was awarded a contract by LLOG to provide detailed design services as well as procurement, vendor equipment management, construction, precommissioning, and offshore commissioning support for the project.
Exterran Water Solutions, an Exterran company, announced in July that it was awarded a contract by LLOG to provide its compact floatation unit and microbubble floatation technology in support of the Salamanca FPS, the company said in a press release.
The column-stabilized Salamanca floating production systems will be installed in Keathley Canyon Block 689 and produce the nearby Leon and Castile discoveries. Situated at a water depth of 6,400 ft, the platform will include processing facilities capable to 60,000 BOPD, 25,000 BWPD, and 40 MMcf/D of natural gas.
Initial production from the joint development is expected in mid-2025.
LLOG Exploration is the operator, with Spanish major Repsol and US independent Beacon Offshore Energy as partners in the project.
