Oilgram News/OPR Extra a Special Edition from the Editors of Platts July 20, 2010
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] Oilgram News/OPR Extra A special edition from the editors of Platts July 20, 2010 As it has during other crises affecting oil and other energy markets, such as hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ivan, Platts is producing this special summary of events surrounding the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. This special joint edition of Platts Oilgram News and OPR Extra will be published as frequently as Platts believes necessary to give its readers a quick summary of developments surrounding the leak at the wellhead, the growing footprint of the spill, and the impact these occurrences are having on markets and on US federal energy policy. Return of the top kill option With BP's runaway Macondo exploration hour period that ended July 17, Allen has Allen said the preliminary idea would use the well finally under control in the Gulf of Mexico, approved extensions in 24-hour intervals, and static kill to pump mud from the top, "increas- BP and the US government continued to mull he did that again on July 20. "There are com- ing the chances of success" with the relief options July 20 for a next move--including peting theories of depletion versus leakage," well. "Static kill discussions are ongoing, and another look at the "top kill" maneuver that Allen said, explaining the debate among mem- we will have a good idea in the next 24 hours failed so spectacularly at the end of May. BP bers of the government and BP technical for detailed plans from BP," Allen said. is so eager to include what it now calls a teams working to evaluate the reason for the "static kill" that BP senior vice president Kent stable pressure in the 6,800 level. BP announced July 20 its first major asset Wells told reporters July 20: "If it is approved, sale to raise cash for mounting Macondo it is a 100% chance we'll go ahead with it." That debate pits some who believe deple- blowout bills, agreeing to sell $7 billion worth Although BP has changed the name of the tion at Macondo has revised the expectations of upstream assets to US independent operation, static kill would still use the same for pressure in the wellbore against others Apache. The deals include BP's US Permian Macondo entry points of the choke and kill concerned that the pressure level indicates a Basin assets in Texas and southeast New lines on the malfunctioning blowout preventer crack in the wellbore somewhere that could Mexico; its Western Canadian upstream natu- for injections of drilling mud to plug the flow eventually rupture if the cap is allowed to ral gas assets; and the Western Desert busi- of oil from the reservoir 13,000 feet beneath maintain it. Both Allen and Wells described ness concessions and East Badr El-din explo- the wellhead. Despite the failure of the first the static kill procedure as a maneuver to ration concession in Egypt. The company said top kill attempt on May 31, BP believes it enhance and speed success with the relief last month it would sell about $10 billion in might succeed now because the company has well seen as the ultimate solution to Macon- assets to raise cash toward its massive managed to achieve control of the well's pres- do. They said BP expects to run the casing in Macondo cleanup bills. On July 19, the com- sure through last week's installation of a seal- its primary relief well July 21 or 22 with inter- pany said it had already spent $3.95 billion ing cap that stopped Macondo's flow on July ception of the original Macondo wellbore on its Macondo response, and it could face 15 . Since then, BP has been taking pressure expected by the end of the month. "It is much larger sums for potential liabilities and readings under day-by-day approvals from US exactly where we want it, pointed in the right damages. The Apache deal does not include National Incident Commander Thad Allen to direction, and the intercept is for the end of BP's Canadian oil sands or natural gas liquids keep the well plugged while deciding on the July," Wells said. But he warned it might take businesses. It also does not include BP's next step. But both Allen and BP have from days to weeks to kill Macondo once the Alaska assets that were said to be for sale. stressed that nothing will take the place of intercept occurs, depending on the condition In a separate announcement earlier July 20, the relief well expected to intercept the origi- of the wellbore's outer layer. As a result, he BP said its Pakistan and Vietnam assets were nal Macondo wellbore next month for a bot- said the static kill could add pressure from now up for sale. The Apache deal's effective tom kill as the ultimate solution. Allen said in the top to enhance the process. "If the static date is July 1, with closing expected in the his daily briefing July 20 that pressure testing kill kills the flow in the casing, then you would third or fourth quarter after regulatory shows the wellbore holding steady at 6,834 have all the flow stopped working in tandem," approvals. Apache has agreed to pay BP a pounds per square inch, still below the 8,000- Wells said. "These can have the ability to cash deposit of $5 billion in aggregate on July psi threshold for confidence in using the cap have the well completely killed in less time 30, split $3.25 billion for Canada, $1.5 billion as a plug but well above the 6,000-psi mini- and reduce the execution risk. It is clearly for Permian and $250 million for Egypt. The mum that would have prompted deployment worth it to us." Allen said the procedure, if deal includes estimated proved reserves of of the cap as a collection system to siphon approved, would not begin until after BP sets 385 million barrels of oil equivalent, said oil to four vessels on the surface. Although the casing in its relief well. Warning that the Apache in a statement. Net production from BP had planned the testing for an initial 48- detailed plan has not yet been presented, the BP properties in the first half of 2010 Oilgram News / OPR Extra ]Director of News: John Kingston This special edition of Platts Oilgram News and Platts OPR Extra is published by Platts, a division of The McGraw Hill Companies. Registered office: Two Penn Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10121-2298. Officers of the Corporation: Harold McGraw III, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer; Kenneth Vittor, Executive Vice President and General Counsel; Robert J. Bahash, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; John Weisenseel, Senior Vice President, Treasurer. Copyright © 2010 by Platts, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Platts is a trademark of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. The McGraw-Hill Companies SPECIAL EDITION HOME was 28,000 b/d of liquid hydrocarbons and scrutiny, and that it violated US laws. The fil- followed properly, there may not have been a 331,000 Mcf/d of natural gas, or a total of ing, made in the US District Court for the blowout." Current Interior Secretary Ken approximately 83,000 boe/d. Apache noted Eastern District of Louisiana, was an amend- Salazar also testified, saying that responsibili- that, by comparison, it produced 646,866 ment to a suit Ensco filed July 9 against the ty for the BP blowout must be shared by gov- boe/d in the second quarter. The transaction original moratorium, and other changes made ernment regulators from both the Obama and also adds 2.4 million net acres to Apache's by the US government, after BP's Macondo Bush administrations. "Prior administrations global portfolio, the company said. well blowout on April 20. Defendants named and this administration have not done as include the Interior Department and its head, much as we could have done relative to mak- A list of 20 well problems aboard the Deep- Ken Salazar, as well as the Bureau of Ocean ing sure there was safer production in the water Horizon rig leading up to the April 20 Energy Management, Regulation and Enforce- Outer Continental Shelf," Salazar said. "I explosion in the Gulf of Mexico was released ment, and its head, Michael Bromwich. The believe that after drilling some 40,000 wells in July 20 by a US Coast Guard and Bureau of suit says both the moratoriums violate the the Gulf of Mexico, all of the nation...were Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and outer lulled into a sense of safety and what the Enforcement joint panel. But the panel mem- Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). The Deepwater Horizon perhaps drives home more bers--who were prepared to question key BP first six-month deepwater drilling moratorium than anything else is that we need to revisit personnel aboard the rig about the anom- was struck down in court last month, with that basic assumption with respect to safety." alies–-got little satisfaction from the BP wit- the judge calling the ban "arbitrary and capri- Democrats on the House Energy panel nesses who backed out of testimony, were cious." The second moratorium bans new slammed the former Republican administra- not aboard April 20, or were not qualified to deepwater exploratory drilling until November tion for having a cozy relationship with industry answer questions about the problems aboard 30. The bans are similar, with a key differ- and not insisting on tighter regulations of the rig.