Shell has turned the taps on its PowerNap subsea development in the US Gulf of Mexico. The three-well tieback to the Shell-operated Olympus production hub in the Mars Corridor is expected to produce 20,000 BOED at peak, down roughly 40% over initial peak rate estimates of 35,000 BOED. Shell said peak production from the field was revised downward due to the reservoir exhibiting lower permeability thus constraining overall production rate and recoverable resources.
PowerNap, located in Mississippi Canyon block 943 in about 4,200 ft of water, was discovered by Shell in 2014. When Shell made its final investment decision to proceed with development, the company estimated PowerNap held more than 85 million BOE. The company has not made any reserves revision public.
“Shell has been producing in the Mars Corridor for more than 25 years, and we continue to find ways to unlock even more value there,” said Zoe Yujnovich, Shell upstream director. “PowerNap strengthens a core upstream position that is critical to achieving our Powering Progress strategy and ensuring we can supply the stable, secure energy resources the world needs today and in the future.”
The three-well development is tied back to Olympus via a single, insulated 19-mile flowline and high-pressure gas lift capacity.
PowerNap production will be transported to market on the Mars pipeline. Shell operates PowerNap with a 100% working interest.
