Hokchi

Hokchi Oil and Gas Field Profile

The Hokchi Oil and Gas Field is located in the Salina del Istmo basin of the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 30 kilometers off the coast of the south-eastern Mexican state of Tabasco.
The field lies at an average water depth of 30 meters and covers an area of 40 square kilometers.

The Hokchi oil and gas field was discovered by the Hokchi-2DEL well, drilled to a depth of 2,600 meters in 2017. Following this, additional wells (Hokchi-3DEL, Hokchi-4DEL, Hokchi-5DEL, and Hokchi-6DEL) were drilled to depths ranging between 2,700 meters and 3,350 meters.
An extended-range production test was conducted on the Hokchi-4DEL well, which produced 4,201 barrels of oil with an API of 29.4°.

The field is operated by Hokchi Energy, a subsidiary of Pan American Energy, with a 59.4% interest. Other stakeholders include Wintershall Dea (37%) and AINDA (3.6%).

The development plan, approved by the National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH) of Mexico in May 2018, involves an investment of $2.5 billion.
The field is developed using two offshore platforms: the Hokchi Central (West Platform) and the Hokchi Satellite (East Platform). Both platforms are unmanned and feature seven producing wells and seven injection wells.

Offshore Platforms:
- The central wellhead platform is a six-leg fully-automated facility with 15 slots and minimal processing facilities.
- The satellite platform is a three-leg fully-automated facility with six slots.
- Both platforms are equipped with utilities such as cranes, chemical injection, emergency power generation, and safety systems.
Pipelines and Umbilicals:
- The platforms are interconnected through a 3km-long power and communications umbilical, a 3km multi-phase pipeline (3in diameter), a 3km injection water pipeline, and a 3km infield flow line.
- Additional infrastructure includes a 26km power and communications umbilical, a 24km multi-phase pipeline (14in diameter), and a 26km injection water pipeline (10in diameter).
Onshore Facilities:
- The hydrocarbons are transported to the Hokchi Paraíso Plant, located around 25 kilometers away, where oil and gas are separated and treated before being sold to Pemex.
- The onshore facility includes an oil treatment plant with a capacity of 35,000 barrels per day (bpd), a seawater treatment plant, gas treatment and compression, water injection, power generation, and a metering station.

The field is expected to produce 147.8 million barrels of oil and 45.4 trillion cubic feet of gas, with a recovery factor of 37%.
As of March 2023, the field was producing at a rate of 27,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (gross), with expectations to increase to 37,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

Sapura Energy was awarded a contract for offshore engineering, procurement, transportation, installation, pre-commissioning, and commissioning (EPCIC) works for the central wellhead platform and satellite wellhead platform.
Arendal was contracted for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of five shore approaches from sea to land, including production and service pipelines.

The project includes an Environmental Impact Regional Statement, which was presented to the CNH. The statement outlines the environmental impact and mitigation measures for the development of the Hokchi field.

The field began production in May 2020, with the first oil coming from the Hokchi-4DEL well. The production was facilitated by the constructed transport infrastructure linking the platforms to the onshore processing facility.

The field is expected to continue production until it reaches its economic limit in 2040, based on economic assumptions. An expansion project, Hokchi Phase 2, is currently in the approval stage.