EXONMOBIL has announced that its subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Chad, began pipeline fill operations on the Chad-Cameroon oil development and pipeline project on 24 July. The pipeline has been completed one year ahead of the original schedule, along with facilities for one of the three oil fields under development.
The 30-in diameter pipeline extends 1056km from the oilfields in southern Chad to a floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel located 11.5km offshore Kribi, Cameroon, in the Gulf of Guinea. Construction will continue on the central treating facilities in Chad, and full production is targeted to start by December this year. Meanwhile, drilling operations are continuing on the remaining two fields; when completed, production of 225,000brl/d from the wells and facilities in these fields is anticipated.
To highlight the start of pipeline operations, project inauguration ceremonies will be held in Chad in late September and in Cameroon in late October. The project represents an unprecedented effort in the areas of socio-economic planning and public consultation. The consultation process, which began in 1993, has provided the opportunity for tens of thousands of citizens to have input into the planning. In addition, multiple levels of monitoring by external groups has verified the project’s compliance with its commitments under the Environmental and Socioeconomic Management Plans. The consortium developing the project is comprised of subsidiaries of ExxonMobil (operator, 40% interest), Petronas (35% interest), and ChevronTexaco (25% interest).