Baldpate (GB260) - Hess

Profile for Baldpate (GB260) - Hess Oil and Gas Asset

Location

The Baldpate (GB260) oil and gas asset is located in the Federal offshore waters of the United States, specifically in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 110 miles off the coast of Louisiana in the Garden Banks area. The exact coordinates are 27.7583, -91.9985 (WGS 84).

Platform and Structure

The Baldpate platform is a 579.7 meters (1,902 feet) offshore compliant tower, which was the first freestanding compliant tower to be built after the Lena platform. It is the second tallest structure built in water, after the Petronius oil platform. The platform was designed and built by Hudson Engineering (now J. Ray McDermott Engineering) in Houston, Texas, and installed by Heerema Marine Contractors.

• The compliant tower section includes a jacket section fabricated by Aker Gulf Marine, weighing 28,900 tons. The structure is divided into a lower base section (107 meters or 351 feet tall, weighing 8,700 tons) and an upper tower section (402 meters or 1,320 feet tall, weighing 20,200 tons).
• The total combined height of the jacket/truss tower section is 1,671 feet, with 1,647 feet of it underwater. The topside of the platform adds an additional 9,800 tons, bringing the total weight to 38,700 tons.

Design and Features

• Compliant towers are designed to be more flexible than traditional fixed truss towers, allowing the Baldpate platform to move up to 10 feet laterally during severe storm conditions.
• The main legs of the structure have a diameter of 12 feet at their widest with a steel thickness of 3.5 inches in the base section, and 10.67 feet with a steel thickness of 3.3 inches in the upper section. Steel piles support the structure, reaching a depth of 430 feet.

Operational History

• The Baldpate field was discovered in 1991 by Hess Corporation.
• The platform began production in 1998, marking the first oil production through a freestanding compliant tower platform.

Production and Reserves

• As of 2019, the remaining reserves at Baldpate include 206.71 million cubic meters of gas and 2.1 million barrels of oil.
• Cumulative production as of 2019 was 120.5 million barrels of oil and 12,397 million cubic meters of gas.
• Annual production rates have varied, with 2.06 million barrels of oil and 242.47 million cubic meters of gas per year in 2020, and 0.38 million barrels of oil and 29.87 million cubic meters of gas per year in 2022.

Operator and Ownership

• The Baldpate (GB260) asset is operated and owned by Hess Corporation.

Significance

• The Baldpate platform is a significant asset for Hess Corporation, highlighting their capabilities in deepwater development and production in the Gulf of Mexico. Hess has been active in this region for over 25 years and is one of the largest gross operated producers in the area.