HOUMA, LA (AP) — A partner in the Lucius oilfield says production has begun in the Gulf of Mexico.
The field is in the Keathley Canyon area about 236 miles southwest of Port Fourchon in 7,200 feet of water.
Anadarko Petroleum Corp., the operator, tells The Courier’s Aaren Gordon the facility has the capacity to handle 80,000 barrels of oil and 450 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.
John Christiansen, the company's external communications director, said Lucius is the largest deepwater spar the company has built to date.
There have been and will continue to be thousands of people working with this project, from Finland where it was fabricated to Houma where parts of the topsides were constructed.
"When you begin a project like Lucius, it's one that's going to have lots of benefits in terms of jobs in various areas," Christiansen said. "The shore bases we have in Houma supports a lot of our Gulf of Mexico activity. This does have very deep ties to the Houma community."
The project is one of the biggest startups expected in the offshore region this year, according to Fuelfix.
The Lucius field is estimated to hold 300 million barrels of oil equivalent.
"Gulf of Mexico continues to be a really important part of our portfolio and a place where we have some competitive advantages," Christiansen said. "The continued development is exciting I think to see the Gulf have the life it's had supporting jobs along the Gulf Coast."
Anadarko holds 23.8 percent operating stake with Freeport at 25.1 percent, ExxonMobil at 23.3 percent, Petrobras with 11.5 percent, INPEX with 7.75 percent and Eni with 8.5 percent. The field was discovered late 2009. The 23,000-ton truss spar arrived in the Gulf of Mexico May 2013.
