N.Thunder Horse (MC776) - Murphy

Location

North Thunder Horse is located in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico, approximately five miles northwest of the main Thunder Horse field. It is situated in Block 776, in water depths of about 5,640 feet.

Discovery and Development

The North Thunder Horse area was discovered in February 2001. The discovery well was drilled by the Discoverer 534 to a total depth of 26,046 feet and encountered 581 feet net of accumulated hydrocarbons in three intervals.

Production

• The North Thunder Horse field is produced through a semi-submersible platform, which is shared with the main Thunder Horse field.
• The field's monthly oil production peaked in 2009, with an average daily production per well peaking at about 32,000 barrels of oil per day (b/d) in 2008. This is slightly lower than the peak production rates of the main Thunder Horse field.
• By May 2011, the field had eight producing wells, contributing to a collective oil production that displayed a bumpy plateau before declining. The production was affected by the Macondo oil spill in 2010 and subsequent drilling moratoriums.

Reserves and Production Trends

• The original reserves estimates for North Thunder Horse varied over the years. According to the Minerals Management Service (MMS), estimates ranged from 347 million barrels (Mb) in 2003 to 534 Mb in 2006.
• The production decline trends indicated that the actual reserves might be lower than the initial estimates. The field's production has been declining since 2011, influenced by natural decline and the lack of new wells due to regulatory constraints.

Infrastructure and Operations

• The production from North Thunder Horse is tied into the same floating platform as the main Thunder Horse field. This platform is designed to handle 250,000 barrels of oil and 200 million cubic feet of gas per day.
• The oil and gas produced are transported via the Proteus and Endymion oil pipeline systems and the Okeanos gas pipeline system, which are part of the Mardi Gras Transportation System.

Expansion and Current Status

• While there have been several expansion projects in the Thunder Horse field, including the Thunder Horse South Expansion and the Thunder Horse Northwest Expansion, specific details on recent expansions or new projects solely focused on North Thunder Horse are not provided in the available sources.
• The overall Thunder Horse field continues to be a significant producer, with BP and ExxonMobil working on various projects to maintain and increase production efficiency.

In summary, North Thunder Horse (MC 776) is an integral part of the larger Thunder Horse oil and gas field, operated by BP with ExxonMobil as a partner, and it contributes significantly to the overall production capacity of the field.