The Saxi/Batuque oil fields are located in Block 15, approximately 145 kilometers off the coast of Angola, in water depths of nearly 2,400 meters.
Operator and Partners
The project is operated by ExxonMobil, with the following partnership structure:
ExxonMobil: 40%
BP: 26.67%
Eni: 20%
Statoil (now Equinor): 13.33%.
History
The Saxi oil field was discovered in 2000.
The Batuque field was also discovered around the same period, as part of the broader Kizomba C project.
In 2006, Subsea 7 was awarded the contract for the design, pipe fabrication, and installation of flowlines.
The FPSO (Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading) conversion was completed in 2008.
Oil production from the Saxi and Batuque fields began in August 2008.
Production Details
The Kizomba C development, which includes the Saxi, Batuque, and Mondo fields, is designed to produce approximately 600 million barrels of oil over the life of the project.
The combined production from the three fields is anticipated to reach a total rate of 200,000 barrels of oil per day.
The Saxi/Batuque FPSO is capable of processing 100,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and has a storage capacity for 1.6 million barrels of oil.
Infrastructure
The project utilizes a Saxi Batuque FPSO host with tie-backs to two drill centers for Batuque and two drill centers for Saxi.
The FPSO was converted by Keppel.
Subsea 7 was responsible for the design, pipe fabrication, and installation of 16 steel flowlines and their accompanying flowline terminations, totaling 50 kilometers of flowlines ranging between 6” and 10” in diameter.
Crude Oil Characteristics
The Saxi Batuque crude oil has the following properties:
API Gravity: 35.3
Sulfur content: 0.23% wt
Density @ 15°C: 0.8479 g/cc
Pour Point: -21°C
Viscosity @ 20°C: 7.2 cSt
Total Nitrogen: 1438 ppm
Mercaptan Sulfur: 7.0 ppm
Hydrogen Sulfide: 0 ppm
Classified as medium crude with a sweet sulfur flavor.
Project Significance
The Kizomba C development, including the Saxi and Batuque fields, is one of the largest subsea developments operated by an ExxonMobil affiliate worldwide.
The project is part of ExxonMobil's efforts to develop Angola’s significant petroleum resources, contributing to the country's and the world's energy supply.