Offshore Magazine - February 2015

The Project Takes Shape
A model for development
in the Gulf of Mexico
The Delta House deepwater floating production system (FPS) and its ubsea infrastructure are parts of a field development plan that has been one of the most efficient in the
industry. Delta House Phase One taps three
Mississippi Canyon fields where the average
water depth is around 4,500 feet and reservoirs
range from 12,000 to 18,500 feet. First oil
is expected by mid-2015. According to the
current plan, at least four more LLOG fields
could eventually tie into the host platform.
Working Against Time
In early 2010, a handful of joint venture
partners were just beginning to realize the
potential of their recently-acquired portfolio.
The challenge was how to drill them before
the 20 or so deepwater leases they’d purchased
timed out. They had less than 36 months left
on the clock.
The schedule would have been tough in
any case, but following BP’s Macondo event,
operators in the Gulf of Mexico were granted
a one-time ‘presidential’ lease “Suspension of
Operations” due to the drilling moratorium.
While these special Suspension of Operations
gave LLOG and its partners more time to study
their leases, no one was sure when drilling
could resume.
“LLOG used the time to study the leases and
pick the most valuable ones to explore. While
we weren’t able to drill in time to save all the
leases, we did save the ones that we felt were

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