Atoll

Atoll Gas Field Profile

Location

The Atoll gas field is located offshore Egypt, within the North Damietta Concession in the East Nile Delta region. Specifically, it is situated 15km north of the Salamat discovery, 80km north of the city of Damietta, and 45km north-west of the Temsah offshore facilities.

Discovery and Reserves

The Atoll field was discovered by BP in March 2015 through the drilling of the Atoll-1 deepwater exploration well. This well, drilled using the Maersk Discoverer rig, reached a depth of 6,400 meters and encountered approximately 50 meters of gas pay in high-quality sandstones. The field is estimated to contain around 1.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas and 31 million metric barrels (mmbl) of condensates.

Development Details

The development of the Atoll field is being carried out in two phases.

• Phase One: This phase began production in February 2018 and involved an early production scheme (EPS). It included the recompletion of the existing exploration well as a producing well, the drilling of two additional wells, and the installation of tie-ins and other necessary infrastructure. The wells were drilled using the ENSCO DS-6 drillship between August 2016 and 2018. This phase aimed to extract up to 300 million cubic feet a day (mmscfd) of gas and was developed with an investment of $1 billion.

• Phase Two: The full field development is ongoing, with an estimated total cost of $3 billion. This phase is expected to further increase production from the field.

Production and Processing

Gas and liquids produced from the Atoll field are processed onshore at the existing West Harbour gas processing facility, which also processes gas from the Ha’py and Taurt fields. The field currently produces approximately 350 million metric standard cubic feet a day (mmscfd) of gas and 10,000 barrels of condensate per day (bpd), which are transported to the Egyptian domestic gas market.

Key Players Involved

• BP: The operator and 100% owner of the Atoll field. BP collaborated with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) and the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources for the project development.
• Pharaonic Petroleum Co (PhPC): A joint venture between BP, EGAS, and Eni, which executes and operates the project.
• Maersk Drilling: Awarded a three-year contract extension for the ultra-deepwater semi-submersible drilling rig, the Maersk Discoverer.
• ENSco: Signed a five-year drilling contract for the ultra-deepwater drillship ENSCO DS-6.
• Subsea 7: Awarded the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract for providing the subsea pipelines for the project.

Impact and Goals

The Atoll project is part of BP's strategy to increase its gas production in Egypt, aiming to achieve 2.5 billion cubic feet a day (bcfd) of production by 2020, which represents approximately 50% of Egypt's current gas production. The project helps reduce Egypt's gas deficit and establishes a new material hub in the offshore East Nile Delta region.

Current Status

The Atoll field is currently in operation, with peak production achieved in 2021. Based on economic assumptions, production is expected to continue until the field reaches its economic limit in 2050. The field currently accounts for approximately 3% of Egypt’s daily gas output.