This paper presents an overview of the Pacific LNG project chain that the consortium composed by Repsol-YPF, British Gas and BPAmoco, is implementing. The main gas source for the project is the Margarita Field in Bolivia, South America and the final gas delivery target is the Californian market on the Pacific coast of United States of America.
The Margarita Field, located in the southern Bolivian SubAndean region, was discovered in 1998.
Exploration operations involve deep, naturally fractured gas condensate reservoirs. Three wells have penetrated a large, complex structure and have tested extensive sand bodies which contain massive reserves. Due to the lack of a substantial internal demand in Bolivia and the limited additional market in Argentina and Brazil, the consortium is seeking to export LNG to the North American continent.
Two trains, each delivering 3.3 million tons/year of LNG, are the base target for an aggressive development plan for the Margarita Field. The installation of facilities and pipelines to transport gas to the Pacific coast of South America, followed by shipment to the west coast in Mexico and lastly connection to the US gas pipeline system to send gas to the California market make this project an impressive technical effort and significant investment. This paper emphasizes upstream activities by pointing out strategies for the development of the field as well as on-site plant and facilities. Phase 1 feasibility studies have indicated positive results.
Margarita Field The Margarita structure is located in the southern Bolivia Subandean, on the structural trend of the Location and Characteristics Suaruro Range 35 km to the West of Villamontes town. Figure 1 illustrates the Margarita Field location, in the north part of an elongated anticline oriented NNE-SSW and estimated to have over 30 km long. The Margarita Field was discovered in 1998 and two more wells were drilled after this well. The structural study was performed by using surface geological data, several 2D seismic lines, logs and core data from the three wells. The structural complexity is illustrated by Fig. 2 which presents one of the 2D balanced geological cross sections used to construct the final 3D structural model. The Margarita Field structural model established the limit to the East with the regional Mandiyuti Fault while to the West the structure forms the western flank. A low angle secondary reverse fault crosses along the field parallel to the structural axis separating the structure in two blocks, the hanging wall to the west (marked with A in Fig 2) and the footwall to the east (marked with B in Fig 2).
BLOCK 3 - - FORUM 17 219 PACIFIC LNG PROJECT: A NEW PERSPECTIVE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MARGARITA GAS FIELD IN BOLIVIA The