Devils Tower (MC773) - ENI

Profile for Devils Tower (MC773) - ENI Oil and Gas Project

Location

• The Devils Tower oil and gas field is located in the Mississippi Canyon blocks 728, 771, 772, and 773, in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 140 miles southeast of New Orleans.
• The exact coordinates are 28.219, -88.7742 (WGS 84).

Operator and Ownership

• The field is operated by ENI Petroleum US, a subsidiary of Eni S.p.A..
• ENI holds a 75% interest in the field, having acquired the assets from Dominion in 2007. The remaining interests have changed hands over time, with Marubeni previously holding a stake after purchasing it from Pioneer in 2006.

Discovery and Development

• The Devils Tower field was discovered in 1999, with the announcement following the drilling of the MC 773 no 2 well in February 2000.
• The development of the field was formally sanctioned in June 2001.
• Production began in May 2004 at the MC 773 A-1 well, with full production starting in 2005.

Infrastructure

• The field is developed using a spar facility, which is the world’s deepest dry-tree spar, located in 5,610 feet (1,710 meters) of water.
• The spar has a hull that is 586 feet in length and 94 feet in diameter, weighing over 11,000 tons, and topsides weighing over 9,300 tons.
• The facility is designed to handle 60,000 barrels of oil and 110 million cubic feet of gas per day.
• The spar acts as a central hub for several satellite fields, including the Triton Goldfinger Gas Field and the Bass Lite Gas Field.

Contractors and Construction

• J. Ray McDermott was the general contractor and overall project manager for the design, engineering, procurement, fabrication, installation, and commissioning of the facility. The hull was fabricated in Indonesia, and the topsides were prefabricated in Mexico and assembled in Texas.
• Coflexip Stena Offshore designed, procured, and installed two 18-inch export pipelines totaling 160 miles (260 km).
• FMC Technologies provided the surface wellhead and tree systems.

Production and Reserves

• As of 2019, the remaining reserves were estimated at 478.55 million cubic meters of gas and 22.4 million barrels of oil.
• Cumulative production as of 2019 was 103.6 million barrels of oil and 2,469.21 million cubic meters of gas.
• Annual production in 2020 was 2.23 million barrels of oil and 56.51 million cubic meters of gas, increasing to 2.89 million barrels of oil and 58.52 million cubic meters of gas in 2022.
• The field is expected to continue production until it reaches its economic limit in 2027, having recovered 98.13% of its total recoverable reserves by then.

Transportation

• Gas produced from the field is transported via the Canyon Chief Natural Gas Pipeline to the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line (TRANSCO).

Satellite Fields

• The spar facility also supports production from satellite fields, including the Triton Goldfinger Gas Field and the Bass Lite Gas Field. These fields are connected via subsea wells and flowlines.

Historical Milestones

• 1999: Discovery of the Devils Tower field.
• 2001: Development of the field sanctioned.
• 2002: Successful development drilling program announced.
• 2004: Spar installation and production start.
• 2005: Production starts at the Triton Goldfinger Gas Field.
• 2006: Marubeni acquires Pioneer's stake.
• 2007: Eni completes the acquisition of Dominion's assets in the Gulf of Mexico.
• 2008: Production starts at the Bass Lite Gas Field.