By implementing a ‘phased’ development approach, Angola's Kuito field achieved first oil just 30 months after discovery, making Kuito this country's first deepwater production. Equally impressive was the continuous emphasis on project safety. Although greater than five (5) million construction hours have accumulated, the corresponding lost workday incident rate is less than one per million hours worked.
Kuito's phased development strategy has minimized cycle time while mitigating numerous subsurface uncertainties associated with complex, deepwater turbidite channel systems. This approach was especially beneficial, as there were no analogous, offset reservoirs in the region. It has also provided valuable production and operability information for subsequent subsea well location and facilities enhancement decisions. In addition, phased development has minimized initial capital requirements while accelerating production, helping to fund further developments within Block 14.
The Kuito development consists of a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, a dedicated export buoy, two separate subsea production centers, a separate subsea water injection center, and a remote gas injection well. This paper reviews the unique aspects of progressing Kuito since its April 1997 discovery, discussing how phased development and contracting strategies mitigated project risks for this fast-track project.
Block 14 is situated within the Lower Congo Basin, offshore Angola. It covers 4000 square kilometers, in water depths extending from 200 to 2000 meters. The Kuito field is located in the northeastern portion of Block 14 in water depths of over 400 meters. Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (a ChevronTexaco subsidiary) operates this block on behalf of the Block 14 Contractor Group, which consists of Cabinda Gulf (31%), Sonangol P&P (20%), TotalFinaElf (20%), Agip (20%) and Petrogal (9%).
Kuito represents the first of nine prolific Block 14 oil discoveries to date. Implementing a phased development strategy has yielded many tangible benefits, including the production of almost 55 million barrels of oil since field discovery, while providing critical reservoir performance information useful to progress subsequent Block 14 developments.
Three phases of Kuito development have already been executed (Phase 1A, 1B and 1C), whose scope has included the installation of facilities to process up to 100,000 barrels of oil per day and inject 135,000 barrels of water per day. There have also been 19 producing wells, 9 water injection wells and 1 gas injection well drilled. Production flows from two separate subsea centers to the Kuito FPSO, which can store up to 1.4 million barrels of processed oil. The FPSO is connected to an