Chevron – Aramco – KOC validate Wafra Steamflooding
The California-based international oil company (IOC) Chevron Corporation (Chevron) and its local partners, Saudi Aramco and Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) have validated the steamflooding technology to develop the Wafra heavy crude oil field in the onshore Partitioned Zone (PZ) between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The Partitioned Zone is located at the north east of Saudi Arabia and South of Kuwait and was created to allow both countries to explorer and produce oil and gas resources in this region disputed by both countries.
Because of the politically sensitive aspect of this region, any development of project in the Partitioned Zone is suffering from additional constraints and time frame uncertainty to the usual challenges of conventional large scale project.
In addition Wafra is classified as heavy crude oil field, rated between 18° and 24° API Gravity, with all related issues to make it technically and commercially viable.
Discovered in 1954, Wafra Joint Operations (WJO) is operated by Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC), a KOC subsidiary dedicated to the exploration and production in the Partitioned Zone.
Wafra Joint Operations is a 50/50 joint venture between Saudi Aramco and KOC.
On the Saudi side, the national oil company (NOC) Saudi Aramco signed an agreement in 1949 with Chevron to operate its working interests in the PZ.
In 2009, Saudi Aramco and Chevron renewed this agreement until 2039.
Chevron to complete Wafra Phase-1 FEED work
Wafra Joint Operations project covers the development of five oil and gas fields:
– ARQ
– Humma
– South Fuwaris (SF)
– South Umm Ghudair (SUG)
– Wafra
During decades, Kuwait Gulf Oil Company developed Wafra with conventional electrical submersible pumps (ESPs), sucker rod pumps (SRPs) and progressive cavity pumps (PCPs) assisted by water injection for reservoir pressure maintenance.
In 2009, Chevron decided to test the thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques with steam injection through the Large-scale Steamflood Pilot (LSP) project.
Since then the results of the steam flooding process enabled Chevron and its partners Saudi Aramco and KOC to envisage the development of Wafra in phases.
For the Wafra Phase-1 project, the operator KGOC is planning to invest $5 billion capital expenditure to produce 80,000 barrels per day (b/d).
In addition to the development of the heavy crude oil field, Wafra Phase-1 project is also targeting to gather all the flared gas of the Partitioned Zone.
Chevron and its partner Saudi Aramco and KOC expect to complete Wafra Phase-1 front end engineering and design (FEED) by the end of 2014 in order to start the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work after final investment decision (FID) in 2015.
