Denbury Resources announces executive appointments

Denbury Resources Inc., an E&P focused on EOR utilizing CO2 in the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain regions, has announced the appointment of Brad Kerr as senior V.P. of planning, technology, CO2 supply and pipelines. In his role, Kerr will oversee Denbury' s long-range development plan, CO2 supply and pipeline operations.

Kerr is assuming the role formerly held by Charlie Gibson, who has been appointed to the newly created position of senior V.P. of production operations. In his new role, Gibson will oversee all of Denbury' s hydrocarbon producing assets, with a focus on implementing various operational improvement initiatives and best practices across the company' s operating regions.

Kerr has 31 years of oil and gas industry experience, serving in various roles at Shell and at Exxon Mobil. His responsibilities included providing operational and technical leadership, new technology implementation, and reservoir engineering for diverse oil and gas exploration and development projects, including EOR and unconventional drilling projects in Alaska, West Texas, the Rockies, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

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GeoPark finds new oil field in Chile

GeoPark Limited has announced the discovery of a new oil field in Chile. The Primavera Sur 1 well marks the first discovery of an oil field on the newly-acquired Campanario Block in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. GeoPark operates and has a 50% working interest in the Campanario Block, in partnership with Empresa Nacional de Petroleo de Chile (ENAP).

GeoPark successfully drilled and completed the Primavera Sur 1 well to a total depth of 8,025 ft.  A test conducted in the Tobifera formation, at approximately 7,750 ft, resulted in a production rate of approximately 215 gross bopd of 39.9° API. Further production testing will be required to determine stabilized flow rates and the extent of the reservoir.

Surface facilities and infrastructure have already been put into place in order to produce and commercialize the produced crude oil from this well. Seismic interpretation of the Primavera Sur prospect indicates the opportunity for further development drilling following further testing.

James F. Park, CEO of GeoPark, said, "Our new discovery on the Campanario Block demonstrates the exploration and growth potential of our new Tierra del Fuego acreage, where  our team has identified over 30 new prospects and leads to be drilled on our Isla Norte, Campanario and Flamenco Blocks. The quick cycle time from drilling a well to selling production also reflects the attractive operations and economics of the region. We are pleased to be working with ENAP on these blocks and look forward to further results from our approximately $150 million work program in Chile in 2014."

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Russia to shut Nord Stream Gas Pipe for maintenance for 11 days

Nord Stream, the world’s longest subsea natural gas pipeline, will halt the link from Russia to Germany for 11 days of planned maintenance.

The works will start June 24, 2014 and require a shutdown first of both lines and then of each pipe separately, Nord Stream said in a statement. Opal Gastransport, which carries natural gas onward from Nord Stream, said upstream maintenance would cut supply by 100% June 24-28 and 50% June 28 to July 4 in a maintenance schedule on its website dated June 2, 2014.

“The temporary interruption of supplies has been factored into the nominations of gas planned for Nord Stream to transport to downstream European partners during 2014,” the company said. “The schedule for these maintenance activities has been agreed and coordinated with Nord Stream’s upstream and downstream pipeline partners well in advance.”

An Gazprom led venture started work on Nord Stream, which ships Russian gas produced at Siberian fields directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea, in April 2010, 15 months after a pricing conflict with Ukraine interrupted transit shipments to European clients. While Gazprom halted supplies to Ukraine on June 16 this year in a comparable dispute, transit flows have thus far been unaffected.

The works will include annual maintenance of mechanical components, as well as testing of the automation system, Nord Stream said.

The 1,224 km Nord Stream pipeline can transport as much as 1.9 Tcf of gas annually, enough to meet more than 12% of the 28 nation EU’s demand. Gazprom cannot currently use the full capacity of Opal, a connecting pipeline onshore Germany, because of EU regulations requiring separate ownership of distribution and production assets.

The European Commission, the bloc’s regulator, may allow Gazprom to ship full volumes via Opal if the Ukraine situation remains unresolved and there are disruptions, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said June 16 in Moscow.

Gazprom, which has a monopoly on pipeline gas exports from Russia, supplies the fuel to Europe via the Yamal-Europe pipeline via Belarus and Poland and with gas from its storage facilities in the region as well as through Nord Stream and Ukraine.

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Planned LNG import terminal for Indonesia: GDF SUEZ continues its international development of gas infrastructures

GDF SUEZ has recently signed a new cooperation agreement protocol with Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN), the principal Indonesian operator in the field of natural gas distribution and transportation. The agreement relates to a feasibility study for an onshore LNG terminal in northern Java. This agreement is the result of a collaboration between the Energy International business line and the Infrastructures Branch.
 
On signing the agreement, Jean-Claude Depail, EVP, in charge of Infrastructures business line for GDF SUEZ, declared that "This new agreement represents a significant milestone in developing gas infrastructure projects in Indonesia as part of a long-term strategic partnership with PGN. This partnership is an important new example of the Group' s development strategy for international gas infrastructures that will facilitate access to energy supplies for countries experiencing rapid growth."
 
Experience acquired by the GDF SUEZ Group in managing gas infrastructures has been the foundation for such cooperation agreements. PGN will benefit from technical assistance from the different units of the GDF SUEZ Infrastructures business line, particularly in terms of optimising network operations and maintenance and facilitating the commissioning of the new LNG terminal.

The current agreement follows a prior agreement signed in February 2014, which also includes plans for cooperation in training PGN employees in the field of gas technologies, both in France and Indonesia.

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Safe, efficient solar-powered wireless load cell introduced

Bright Automation, a designer and manufacturer of monitoring and control products, has introduced a fully solar-powered wireless load cell designed for use on pumping units. The Bright Wireless Load Cell has a fully solar-powered battery, transmitting data via a 2.4-GHz wireless digital communication protocol. Based on its unique wireless design, the Bright Load Cell provides easier, faster installation, according to the manufacturer, and reduces shutdowns associated with cable failure. The receiving module output generates a standard 4-20-mA or 0-10-mV signal, making it useful as a replacement of conventional load cells, the company said.

The load cell’s lack of wires and U-shaped structure provides for easy installation, repair and maintenance, while its durable outer shell allows it to withstand harsh environments, reported Bright.

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Argentine governors said to seek tax breaks for rigs in oil bill

Argentine provincial authorities are pushing for tax cuts to be included in an energy bill covering the country’s nascent shale oil and gas industry, three officials briefed on the matter said.

The governors of 10 provinces with oil and gas reserves agreed to request the elimination of a 35% levy on imports of rigs and other machinery before agreeing to the federal government’s proposed reform, the provincial officials said, asking not to be named as discussions are private. Provinces also want royalties to be based on global benchmarks rather than the price set by the federal government, they said.

The demands are part of federal-provincial talks on replacing a 1967 hydrocarbons law with rules for distributing revenue from the world’s fourth-biggest shale oil reserves and second-largest shale gas reserves. The bill would end political tensions derived from unclear regulations for both shale and offshore resources and lure more investors to Vaca Muerta, a Belgium-sized formation in the country’s south.

“All I can say is that all the actors are participating in the writing of the draft,” Horacio Mizrahi, spokesman for federal Planning Minister Julio De Vido, said by phone from Buenos Aires. “We prefer not to comment while negotiations between all parties involved are going on in a civilized way.”

Chubut Governor Martin Buzzi, who heads a committee of the 10 provinces, and Neuquen Governor Jorge Sapag weren’t available to comment, their respective assistants said.

While the provinces are prepared to reduce their taxes and the participation of provincial companies in projects, they want the same benefits stipulated in a July decree imposed for a venture between YPF SA and Chevron Corp. to be extended to all companies, the officials said.

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INPEX unloads first modules for Ichthys LNG Project processing facilities

The INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project is preparing for the next phase of its onshore construction effort, following the unloading of its first large pre-fabricated modules on June 29. The modules will be used to construct the Project’s LNG processing facilities at Bladin Point near Darwin, Australia.

Ichthys LNG Project Managing Director Louis Bon said the safe arrival of the first of more than 200 modules was an important milestone for the Project and marked the next phase for its onshore construction effort.

“Much of the work we have been doing to transform Bladin Point has been leading up to this event -- we have been setting the foundations to prepare for their arrival and installation at site,” he said

A modularized approach to construction is now common in Australia. For the Ichthys LNG Project, this approach involved having components of its onshore facilities assembled in modules at fabrication yards and tested before transporting them to site.

Designing and constructing modules in this way was a key part of delivering the global project on schedule and on budget, Bon said.

“The Ichthys LNG Project’s onshore facilities were designed so that some elements would be modularized while others could be stick-built on site in Darwin,” Bon added.

The Ichthys LNG Project’s pre-fabricated modules are being built at four yards in China, the Philippines and Thailand. Over the next 18 months, about 60 module shipments are scheduled to arrive in Darwin. The largest modules can weigh more than 6,000 tonnes.

Transported on large, custom-made marine vessels, module shipments will travel past Darwin on the way to the Project’s module offloading facility (MOF) at Bladin Point. The MOF supports the offloading of the large modules and oversized equipment that is too large to be transported to site by road.

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