Kuito

Kuito Oil Field Profile

Location and Geology

• The Kuito Oil Field is located offshore Cabinda, Angola, in Block 14, at an average water depth of approximately 400 meters.

Discovery and Development

• The field was discovered in April 1997 by Chevron's Angolan subsidiary, Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited (CABGOC).
• Development contracts were awarded in January 1998, with the final contract for the expanded FPSO project awarded in September 1998.

Operator and Partners

• The operator of the Kuito Oil Field is Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation.
• The partners include Sonangol, Agip (now Eni), Total, and Petrogal. As of recent data, the ownership structure is: Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited (31.0%), Sonangol Pesquisa e Produção (20.0%), Somoil (29.0%), and Eni S.P.A. (20.0%).

Production

• The field began commercial production on December 15, 1999, marking the first deepwater oil production in Angola.
• Peak production is estimated at 100,000 barrels per day (b/d).
• The field also includes gas injection and lift facilities, with a gas injection rate of 16 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) and a gas lift rate of 36 MMcf/d.

Infrastructure

• The production is facilitated through a Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, which was converted from the VLCC Bay Ridge tanker in 14 months.
• The FPSO has a storage capacity of 1.4 million barrels, an export rate of 35,000 barrels per hour, and is connected to a loading buoy via flexible flowlines.
• The underwater facilities include subsea production wells, manifolds, and water injection systems. Phase 1A included 12 producing wells and one gas-injection well, while Phase 1B added five water-injection wells and Phase 1C included additional subsea production and injection facilities.

Phased Development

• The development was carried out in phases:
  • Phase 1A: Included the FPSO, 12 producing wells, an oil export system, and one gas-injection well.
  • Phase 1B: Added water injection facilities, including five water-injection wells and a separate subsea injection manifold.
  • Phase 1C: Included a separate subsea production manifold, flowlines, umbilicals, seven producing wells, and four water-injection wells.

Contractors and Installation

• Key contractors involved in the project include:
  • SBM Offshore: Provision of the FPSO.
  • Asea Brown Boveri and Coflexip Stena Offshore: Sub-sea wellheads and piping.
  • Sedco-Forex: Drilling and completion.
• The installation was carried out efficiently, with offshore operations beginning in September 1999 and completed by December 1, 1999, ahead of schedule.

Reserves

• The estimated oil reserves of the Kuito Oil Field are approximately 1004.21 million barrels as of 2018.

Significance

• The Kuito Oil Field marks a significant milestone in Angola's deepwater oil production, achieving first oil just over 2.5 years after discovery and within budget.
• It is an important step in the strategic development of Angola's deepwater resources.