Offshore gas field development – the ripple effect

The Kipper field is developed via a subsea tieback to the West Tuna platform, and produced into the Gippsland gas processing facilities to supplement long-term energy supply in South-East Australia. During the 2010 Kipper development drilling campaign, mercury was detected in the reservoir fluids. This late discovery required a change to the Kipper development plan due to the ripple effect of mercury along the production path. There are several key execution steps in brownfield concept design, and it is essential to select options that can cope with the reservoir variations and risks associated with tie-ins to brownfield assets. This paper describes how best practice execution was achieved by making good decisions when faced with change late in the field development cycle. The work highlights the benefits of having a clear understanding of the project drivers, options and brownfield constraints to select the right concept. Despite delays to production start-up until 2017, the Kipper Mercury Removal Project was successfully installed, and work practices updated to allow the Kipper field to be safely produced.