Machar

Location and Geology

The Machar field is one of the six fields operated by BP within the ETAP project. It is situated within a 35km area that includes several other fields, all of which are integrated into the ETAP development.

Development Phases

The Machar oil accumulation was developed in three distinct phases:

Phase One

This phase involved an extended production test, which was completed in May 1995. The test demonstrated the viability of natural depletion, producing 7.7 million barrels of oil.

Phase Two

Starting in August 1995, this phase included a pilot waterflood. The pilot involved oil production from two wells, with water injected into a third well. This phase resulted in the production of 6.8 million barrels of oil.

Phase Three

The full-field development required a more complex setup. A subsea pump was installed, along with a 12-inch water-injection flowline. This system used injection water to power the pump to return the produced fluid. The development involved a total of seven wells, including two injectors and five producers.

Production and Infrastructure

• The Machar field is tied back to the Central Processing Facility (CPF) of the ETAP project.
• The field uses a subsea manifold and a spur line to connect to the wet gas pipeline, which is 15 km away.
• The production from Machar, along with other fields in ETAP, is processed at the CPF, which can handle up to 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and approximately 440 million standard cubic feet (Mscf) per day of gas.

Reserves and Production

• The combined reserves of the ETAP project, including Machar, are estimated to be around 490 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe), 35 MMboe of natural gas condensate, and approximately 2 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas.
• The Machar field, while not commercially viable on its own due to its small scale, contributes significantly to the overall production of the ETAP project.

Environmental and Operational Considerations

• The development and operation of the Machar field, like other fields in ETAP, involve various environmental considerations and mitigation measures to minimize impacts.
• The project includes the use of hydrocyclones and degassers to clean produced water before it is returned to the sea or re-injected into the CPF.

Current Status and Future Developments

• As part of the ETAP project, the Machar field continues to contribute to the overall production.
• The ETAP project is undergoing a $1 billion investment program for upgrading operations, which is expected to extend the life of the project into the 2030s.

In summary, the Machar oil project is an integral component of the larger ETAP development, leveraging shared infrastructure and advanced production techniques to maximize the recovery of hydrocarbons from this and other nearby fields.