Sharing this touching tribute to the 11 men who died on the Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010. These American heroes gave their lives exploring for energy to power our economy. The video is introduced by singer Trace Atkins, a former Gulf of Mexico rig worker. Please take a moment to watch.
Archive for 2023
Macondo: On the 13th anniversary, a tribute to the 11 heroes
Posted in accidents, well control incidents, Offshore Energy - General, drilling, Gulf of Mexico, tagged Deepwater Horizon, macondo, Trace Atkins, 4/20/2010 on April 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Tomorrow is Offshore Safety Day
Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, Uncategorized, tagged macondo, Offshore Safety Day, safety leadership on April 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »
BOE continues to call for an International Offshore Safety Day each year on April 20th.
Proposal: Let’s make April 20th International Offshore Safety Day to honor those who have been killed or injured, to recognize the many workers who provide energy for our economies and way of life, and to encourage safety leadership by all offshore operators, contractors, and service companies.
BOE
Deepwater GoM platforms: the next generation has arrived
Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged Anchor, Argos, bp, Chevron, King's Quay, Murphy, Shell, Vito, Whale on April 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »
With the announcement of first oil at Argos, 3 of the 5 next generation deepwater platforms (simpler, safer, and greener) are now producing oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico. The other 2 platforms are expected to begin production in 2024.
Prior to the installation of these platforms, the last deepwater platform addition was Shell’s Appomattox in 2018. That gap in deepwater platform installations was the longest since Bullwinkle was installed in 1988.
The 5 new structures will increase the deepwater platform count by 9% from 56 to 61, and in the next few years should account for approximately 1/4 of GoM oil production.
| platform | operator | water depth (feet) | first production | design production (boe) |
| King’s Quay | Murphy | 3725 | April 2022 | 100,000 |
| Vito | Shell | 4000 | Feb 2023 | 100,000 |
| Argos | bp | 4500 | April 2023 | 140,000 |
| Anchor | Chevron | 5000 | 2024 (est.) | 80,000 |
| Whale | Shell | 8600 | 2024 (est.) | 100,000 |
Regulatory Theory 101: Good comment from “Save LBI” on BOEM’s Renewable Energy Modernization Rule
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, tagged advocacy, BOEM, BSEE, Offshore Wind, Regulation, safety, Save LBI on April 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »
This comment from Save LBI (Long Beach Island, NJ) on BOEM’s Renewable Energy Modernization Rule (proposed) highlights an important regulatory policy consideration:
Promoting the offshore wind program is a very high BOEM priority. The bureau is charged with deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, which requires extensive advocacy. However, BOEM is also a core regulator for offshore wind projects, and the concern is that their regulatory role could be compromised by their advocacy priorities.
Per Notice to Lessees 2023 N-01, which arguably should have been published for public comment given its regulatory significance, BOEM has retained important responsibilities for wind project development and operations. These include review and approval of construction and operations plans, site assessment plans, and general activities plans. BOEM may also exercise enforcement authority through the issuance of violation notices and the assessment of civil penalties.
BOEM exists because in 2010 the Administration wanted to separate the OCS program’s leasing (sales/advocacy) and safety (regulatory/enforcement) functions. The intent was to avoid conflicting missions (or the appearance thereof) in the post-Macondo era. (More on this in an upcoming post.)
Ironically, the Save LBI comment describes BSEE as “a distinct unit within BOEM.” That may seem to be the case, but BSEE is actually a separate bureau in the Department of the Interior.
New hope for Alaskan gas? After years of frustration, are the stars finally aligning?
Posted in Alaska, energy policy, natural gas, tagged 40 tcf, Alaska gas, Alaska LNG, DOE, export approval on April 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »
A big step forward:
The Department of Energy approved Alaska Gasline Development Corp’s (AGDC) exports of LNG from the project to countries with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement.
Backers of the roughly $39 billion project hope it will be operational by 2030 if it gets investments and all required permits. The LNG would be exported mainly to countries in Asia.
Reuters
53 years of history in 93 seconds:
The basics:
Thunder Horse has an interesting history
Posted in accidents, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, tagged bp, Gulf of Mexico, listing, Thunder Horse on April 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »
This picture was posted by MaritmePhoto. The”Blue Marlin” heavy lift vessel is arriving in Texas (2005) with the massive semisubmersible production platform “Thunder Horse” on board.
Above (from BOE archives): Pre-commissioning inspection of Thunder Horse
Thunder Horse has a most interesting history. The project was initially named Crazy Horse, but the name was changed out of respect for concerns raised by the Lakota nation. The massive structure is 136 m in length and 113 m in width, and is located in 6300′ of water in the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico.
Many of you no doubt remember the near disaster during Hurricane Dennis (2005) when the platform was being commissioned. In light of the extensive pre-production hype for the “world’s largest production platform,” this was a costly and embarrassing incident for BP and the OCS program.
Per the findings of the MMS investigation team led by my former colleague David Dykes:
Findings indicate that failures associated with the hydraulic control system and its isolation on evacuation led to the partial opening of multiple hydraulically actuated valves in the ballast and bilge systems of the vessel. This allowed ballast water migration to take place, causing the initial listing (to approximately 16 degrees) of the vessel shortly after the hydraulic system was isolated.
The findings also indicate that ballast water migrated into manned spaces in the lower hull, via faulty and improperly installed check valves in the integrated ballast/bilge piping system. As the degree of list increased beyond the 16 degree mark, downflooding of seawater occurred, initially through overboard discharge lines and/or vents, and possibly later through the deck box as it entered the water. Since the PDQ was already listing at a 16 degree angle prior to the passage of Hurricane Dennis, wave action associated with the passage of the hurricane may also have contributed to the downflooding of seawater.
Although not an initiating event, failed Multiple Cable Transits (MCTs) and two unintended openings in the bulkheads allowed water transfer between watertight compartments, which led to extensive flooding and water damage in the lower hull.
Fortunately, there were no injuries. Repairs were made and production was finally initiated in June 2008.
After recent subsea tieback expansions, Thunder Horse is reported to be producing 200,000+ boe/d. OPEC’s Monthly Market Report for April 2023 cites the Thunder Horse expansion as a key driver in the January 2023 GoM production increase (see excerpt below).
SPR decline resumes. Is DOE concerned?
Posted in energy policy, tagged SPR depletion, SPR refill, Strategic Petroleum Reserve on April 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »
After 12 consecutive weeks at the 371.6 million barrel level, the SPR has declined another 2 million barrels to 369.6 million barrels as of 4/7/2022. The SPR is now at its lowest level since 11/11/1983 when the reserve was still being filled.
Keep in mind that the SPR deficit is now 357 million barrels, and the maximum refill rate is only 685,000 bopd. So a complete refill at the maximum rate would require 521 days plus acquisition, operational, and maintenance delays. Filling the reserve to its 727 million barrel capacity was a 28 year process.
DOE management nonetheless seems maddingly unconcerned.
Correction
Posted in Offshore Wind, Wind Energy, tagged California North Floating, California offshore wind sale, CIP, RWE Renewables on April 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »
On 12/14/2022 I posted that California North Floating LLC was a subsidiary of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), and RWE Offshore Wind Holdings, LLC, a German multinational energy company. Andrew Doba, Director of Communications, has informed me that California North Floating is owned solely by CIP, and is not affiliated with RWE in any way. That post has been updated. Many thanks to Andrew for the correction.
Beta Unit resumes production, but still no Federal investigation report
Posted in accidents, California, oil spill response, pipelines, tagged Amplify Energy, Beta Unit, BSEE, PHMSA, pipeline spill on April 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »
HOUSTON, April 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amplify Energy Corp. (“Amplify” or the “Company”) (NYSE: AMPY) today announced that it has received the required approvals from federal regulatory agencies to restart operations at the Beta Field. Initial steps to resume full operations will involve filling the San Pedro Bay Pipeline with production, a process which commenced over the past weekend and is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete. Following the line fill process, the pipeline will be operated in accordance with the restart procedures that were reviewed and approved by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
Amplify Energy
Odd that the news release didn’t mention BSEE, the agency which would have had to approve the resumption of production.
18 months after the pipeline spill near Huntington Beach, settlements have been reached, fines have been paid, and production from the Beta Unit has resumed, but the Federal investigation report is still unavailable. Why?
Also, per our 10/6/2021 post:
One would hope that this spill will lead to an independent review of the regulatory regime for offshore pipelines. Consideration should be given to designating a single regulator that is responsible and accountable for offshore pipeline safety (a joint authority approach might also merit consideration) and developing a single set of clear and consistent regulations.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 