Qatar Petroleum has announced the start of the development drilling campaign for the North Field East Project, or NFE, which previously was known as the North Field Expansion Project.
The first of 80 NFE development wells was spudded on March 29 by the jack-up rig ‘GulfDrill Lovanda’, which is managed and operated by GulfDrill, a joint venture between the Qatar based- Gulf Drilling International, and Seadrill Limited.
This phase of the North Field expansion project will increase Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) production capacity from 77mn tonnes per year (Mtpy) to 110mn tpy.
The second phase of the North Field LNG Expansion Project, called the North Field South Project (NFS), will further increase Qatar’s LNG production capacity from 110mn tpy to 126mn tpy.
On the occasion, HE the Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, also the President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said: “The start of the development drilling campaign for NFE represents an important milestone to deliver on our strategy to grow our LNG production capacity.
“The continued achievement of milestones, dedication of significant resources and making of substantial investments is proof that the NFE remains on top of our priorities and demonstrates our commitment to executing this mega-project.”
HE al-Kaabi added: “I would like to thank Qatar Petroleum and Qatargas management and teams for this important achievement and for making sure that every component of the project is delivered safely.”
Qatar Petroleum had earlier awarded a number of contracts for jack-up drilling rigs to be utilised for the drilling of 80 development wells for the NFE. The installation of the first four offshore jackets in Qatari waters is underway and is expected to be completed by the end of this month.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the widest spectrum of the energy sector in the State of Qatar, who are working with great dedication and commitment during the current circumstances to ensure that Qatar lives up to its reputation as a trustworthy and reliable energy producer at all times and under all circumstances,” al-Kaabi concluded.
