First gas from the Iguana gas field in the Gulf of Paria is scheduled for the first quarter (Q1) of 2018, according to the Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) application submitted by DeNovo, the operator of Blocks 1(a) and 1(b) off Trinidad’s west coast. Iguana is one of three gas discoveries in the shallow water blocks, which DeNovo purchased from Centrica in April 2016. The CEC application covers the Iguana, Zandolie and Anole fields, and exploration drilling on a fourth prospect named Whiptail.
The development is expected to produce up to 90 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gas and up to 400 barrels per day of condensate.
The Iguana field in Block 1(a) was first drilled by Texaco in 1982, but was never developed and the acreage was relinquished. Blocks 1(a) and 1(b) were subsequently offered as part of the January 2004 competitive bid round and licensed to Petro-Canada (along with Block 22 off Tobago’s north coast). State oil company, Petrotrin, took a 20% non-operator stake in the two blocks. Petro-Canada drilled four wells in 2007-2008, which included the Zandolie and Anole discoveries. In 2009, Petro-Canada was acquired by Canadian oil-sands specialist, Suncor, which subsequently disposed of the Trinidad and Tobago assets to the UK-based gas company, Centrica.
The CEC application covers the installation of four unmanned production platforms, the installation of a 14-inch subsea pipeline and the drilling of 15 production wells, possibly by a local rig (five on each of the three fields). The 35 km offshore pipeline laying project is expected to be carried out in July and August 2017, along with the installation of the Iguana platform jacket and topsides. The CEC application also covers the shore approach of the pipeline, just to the north of the Point Lisas Nitrogen Limited plant and a 1.5 km onshore pipeline to take the gas to a new processing unit.
Construction of the gas processing unit, which is subject to a separate CEC application, is scheduled to commence in March 2017, with construction estimated to take 12 months. The gas processing unit will remove water and condensate (liquid hydrocarbons) from the gas stream, via an inlet slug catcher and separators. Condensate separated from the gas will be trucked out of the facility by road tanker wagon for sale, with produced water also being trucked out for subsequent disposal at an approved facility. The processed gas will be metered and transported to an existing downstream operator in Point Lisas, via a new four km-long, 14-inch pipeline, to be used as fuel gas (rather than feedstock).
The five production wells on the Iguana field are scheduled at 45 days each over a 7½ month period, commencing in August 2017. First gas from Iguana is scheduled for March 2018.
The environmental documentation does not cover the construction of the platforms and jackets, and only states that the fabrication work was expected to commence in October 2016.
Drilling of the development wells in the Zandolie field is scheduled for the period July 2022 to February 2023, with first gas expected by June 2023. The Anole field is scheduled to be drilling between August 2027 and March 2028, with a subsequent exploration well being drilled on the Whiptail prospect in the second half of 2028.