Petrofac Partners with GPR to Deliver a £1 Million Contract for Addax Petroleum

International oil & gas services company Petrofac is partnering with Nigerian engineering company Global Petroleum Resources (GPR) to deliver a £1 million contract on behalf of Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria.  The contract involves the detailed design of Addax’s Oron production platform off the coast of Nigeria.

Over a seven-month period, an integrated team from Petrofac and Nigerian based GPR will carry out the detailed design of the 60,000 barrels of oil per day production platform on the Oron field discovered in 2002. The platform is scheduled to be commissioned in December 2006.

The field which is currently under development lies in approximately eight metres of water, 70 km off the coast of Nigeria and covers approximately five km square.  With gas/liquid separation equipment, export pumping, utilities and power generation, the platform will be linked to the existing Oron wellhead platform which is currently being modified to incorporate additional wells.  Petrofac Engineering performed the detailed design for the wellhead platform in 2004/2005.

The Oron production platform is structurally similar to Addax’s nearby newly to be installed Adanga production platform, for which Petrofac Engineering also carried out detailed design work.  Consequently, there are many synergies and similarities in design with respect to structure and piping layout.

Commenting on the award, Gordon Grant, Engineering Director for Petrofac Engineering said,  “We have worked closely with Addax on a number of Nigerian projects, including not only Oron and Adanga, but also a number of feasibility, conceptual and process studies as well as providing HSE and capital cost estimation consultancy services.

“Petrofac Engineering has gained extensive experience of the issues involved in providing engineering and project management services in Nigeria, and this latest award demonstrates Petrofac Engineering’s continued commitment to the region.”

Jim Pearce, Managing Director of Addax Petroleum Development Ltd said, “The partnership has been encouraged by Addax as a means to progress our commitment to increased local content whilst ensuring a high quality development.  The positive manner in which both companies have responded to the challenge is very encouraging for the future.”