Kupe topsides arrive in Taranaki

3 December 2007

Kupe topsides arrive in Taranaki

The safe arrival in Taranaki of the topsides for the Kupe Gas Project offshore platform at the weekend marks another important milestone for the Project.
The topsides were fabricated in Thailand by Thai Nippon Steel and include a production deck and helideck. Weighing approximately 470 tonnes, the topsides are 15 metres wide and 37 metres high.

The topsides are the second major piece of equipment making up the Project’s offshore platform and sit on top of the jacket (legs) which are piled into the seabed. The offshore platform is located 30 kilometres offshore in South Taranaki.

The jacket arrived in New Zealand in October and was successfully installed last month on location at the Kupe Field using the Ensco 107 drilling rig.
The rig will be used to lift the topsides into place before it drills the Project’s three production wells into the Kupe reservoir, 3000 metres below the seabed.

Kupe Gas Project Director Peter Ashford said the successful arrival of the topsides was a credit to the Project team, with many months of work going into their fabrication and transportation to New Zealand.

“This marks the completion of a significant milestone for the all those involved in the Kupe Gas Project. Once the topsides are installed the offshore platform will be complete and work can focus on the drilling campaign,” Mr Ashford said.

The topsides have been transported to New Zealand from Thailand on the SAL Paula, a heavy lift vessel.

The Kupe Gas Project is expected to be completed by mid-2009 and will provide New Zealand with approximately 254 petajoules of natural gas, 1.1 million tonnes of LPG and 14.7 million barrels of light oil (condensate).

Participants in the Kupe Gas Project are:
Origin Energy Resources (Kupe) Limited* 50% (Operator)
Genesis Energy 31%
New Zealand Oil & Gas Limited 15%
Mitsui E&P Australia Pty Lt 4%

*a wholly owned subsidiary of Origin Energy Limited

ENDS

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