Blind Faith (MC696) - Chevron

Blind Faith (MC696) - Chevron Oil and Gas Project Profile

The Blind Faith oil field is located in the eastern half of the Mississippi Canyon protraction area in the Central Gulf of Mexico, approximately 160 miles southeast of New Orleans.
Specifically, it is situated in Mississippi Canyon blocks 695 and 696, at a water depth of around 7,000 feet (2,134 meters).

The field was discovered by Chevron in June 2001 using Diamond Offshore’s dynamically positioned semisubmersible rig Ocean Confidence. The discovery well encountered more than 200 feet of net pay in the Miocene sands between 20,900 and 24,300 feet.
An appraisal well was drilled in 2004 to further assess the reserves.
The project was sanctioned in October 2005.

The field is operated by Chevron with a 62.5% working interest, and Kerr-McGee (now part of Occidental Petroleum) holds a 37.5% working interest.

Total reserves are estimated at up to 100 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
As of 2019, the remaining reserves were approximately 19.4 million barrels of oil and 413.42 million cubic meters of gas.
Cumulative production as of 2019 included 83.7 million barrels of oil and 1,812.26 million cubic meters of gas.
Peak production was achieved in 2009, and based on economic assumptions, production is expected to continue until the field reaches its economic limit in 2030.

The field development is based on a subsea system tied back to a deep draught floater. The subsea system includes three type EHXT – HC trees, each connected to a four-slot manifold secured to the seabed by suction piles. The manifold is designed for round trip pigging and downhole gas lift.
The production is tied back to a semisubmersible floating facility, which was designed by Aker Kværner under an EPC contract. The semisubmersible hull was built in Verdal, Norway, and transported to the Gulf of Mexico for integration with the topsides fabricated in Houma, Louisiana.
The semisubmersible facility is moored in approximately 6,500 feet of water and has a production capacity of around 45,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) and 45 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcf/d). The facility can be upgraded to handle up to 60,000 bpd and 150 mmcf/d to accommodate future discoveries or third-party tiebacks.

The subsea facilities include four production wells and two flowlines that route the oil and gas from the wells back to the platform. The flowlines, including the associated Pipeline End Terminations (PLETs) and pre-laid Steel Catenary Risers (SCRs), were laid by Subsea 7’s vessel Seven Oceans.
The system is connected by three 8,000-foot-long umbilicals designed with collapse-resistant hoses to handle high temperatures and pressures, with external pressure requirements of 6,000 psi and maximum operating pressure of 15,000 psi.

The construction of the facilities took over three years. The hull was transported from Norway to the Gulf of Mexico, and the topsides were built in Louisiana before being integrated in Texas. The installation involved complex planning and waiting for favorable weather conditions.
Aker Marine Contractors installed the Blind Faith platform using the specialized offshore construction vessel BOA Sub C.

The oil and gas are exported through pipelines extended by Williams Energy. The Canyon Chief and Mountaineer pipelines were extended by 37 miles each to support the production from the Blind Faith field, in addition to the Devils Tower Field.

The total capital costs for the project were estimated at around $900 million.
Detailed operating costs and cash flow projections are included in reports such as those from Wood Mackenzie.

The project involved extending existing technologies to handle the extreme downhole environments, including high pressures up to 15,000 psi and deepwater conditions. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) were crucial for the construction in these deepwater depths.