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| Stephane Michel |
Total is in talks with Qatar Petroleum on expanding the 140,000 barrels per day (bpd) Laffan Refinery, Total E & P Qatar Managing Director Stephane Michel has said.
Total has a 10% stake in Laffan Refinery, which is majority owned by Qatar Petroleum. Laffan Refinery is capable of producing 9,000bpd of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), 60,000bpd of naphtha 50,000bpd of jet fuel, and 24,000 bpd of gas oil.
Laffan Refinery, a joint venture set up by Qatar Petroleum (51%), ExxonMobil (10%), Total (10%), Idemitsu (10%), Cosmo (10%), Mitsui (4.5%) and Marubeni (4.5%) has catapult Qatar into a select club of leading global producers of naphtha, jet fuel, gasoil and liquefied petroleum gas.
“We are currently in discussion with QP on the project. We hope the decision could be taken on the additional phase (plant) next year, Michel told Gulf Times yesterday.
Asked about the planned capacity for Laffan Refinery second phase, he said “It is a bit too early to say. The idea is to have the same kind of capacity as that of the first one.”
Total has considerable experience in Qatar with which it has been associated since 1936 (Dukhan Onshore Oilfield).
“This year we will have completed 75 years in Qatar,” Michel said.
Total, which is the operator of the Al Khalij Oilfield, offshore Qatar, produces an average 30,000 barrels per day (bpd).
Asked what the challenge was with regard to the Al Khalij Oilfield where Total has invested significant money, Michel said: “Fighting against the decline of the field is a challenge as well as the top priority for us. Given the peculiar nature of the Al Khalij Oilfield, production boost is not an option for the time being. We are using our new technology to optimise production within the reasonable plateau.”
Total is active in the entire value chain in Qatar, from upstream to downstream projects, and is fully integrated in the country.
Besides its stake in Qatargas 1 and Qatargas 2, Laffan Refinery and Qatofin, it is also involved in mega projects such as Dolphin Energy (24.5% stake) and Qapco (20%).
Total is also involved in Ras Laffan Olefins Company (RLOC) through a Qatofin stake of 46.1%.
Total is also into research and development activities in Qatar and is a tenant at the Qatar Science & Technology Park. Pages 34, 36
Offshore Block BC exploration
Total is looking at the second half of next year for the first exploration well to be drilled in Qatar’s offshore Block BC, in which it has a 25% stake.
China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) is about to start Seismic operation in the Block BC,” Total E & P Qatar Managing Director Stephane Michel told Gulf Times yesterday.
“Once seismic operations are over, we need interpretation of the data before drilling the first exploration well. This is expected (most likely) in the second part of 2012,” Michel said.
Total acquired a 25% ‘interest’ in Qatar’s Block BC (pre-Khuff) exploration licence following an agreement the France-based energy major signed with QP and CNOOC Middle East.
CNOOC Middle East (Qatar), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC International is the operator of the block with a 75% interest.
Located 130km east of the Qatari coast, the offshore block covers an area of 5,649 sq km with water depths ranging from 15 to 35 metres.
The Block BC (pre-Khuff) Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) entered into with the Government of Qatar in 2009 stipulates that 2D and 3D seismic surveys will be conducted by CNOOC Middle East and that at least three exploration wells will be drilled by 2014.
