Exxon Mobil beginning development of ultra-deepwater Julia oil field in Gulf of Mexico
08 May 2013
Exxon Mobil Corporation is commencing development of the ultra-deepwater Julia oil field in the Gulf of Mexico. ExxonMobil, the operator, and Statoil Gulf of Mexico LLC each hold a 50% interest in the Julia unit. Capital cost for the project, which is expected to begin oil production in 2016, is estimated to be more than $4 billion.
The field was discovered in 2007 under 7,087 feet (2,160 meters) of water and is now estimated to have nearly six billion barrels of resource in place, according to Exxon Mobil.
The initial development phase is being designed for daily production of 34,000 barrels of oil and includes six wells with subsea tie-backs to the Jack & St. Malo production facility operated by Chevron USA Inc. Julia project front end engineering design has been completed and the engineering, procurement and construction contracts have been placed.
The Julia field comprises five leases in the ultra-deepwater Walker Ridge area of the Gulf of Mexico, 265 miles southwest of New Orleans. The blocks are WR-584, WR-627, WR-628, WR-540 and WR-583.
Julia is one of the first large oil discoveries in the ultra-deepwater frontier of the Gulf of Mexico; the resource is located more than 30,000 feet below the ocean’s surface.
Over the past decade, ExxonMobil has drilled 36 deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico in water ranging from 4,000 feet to 8,700 feet.
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