BW OFFSHORE has achieved First Gas on the FPSO BW Opal working for Santos in the Barossa LNG project in the Timor Sea.
The milestone was reached on 20 September, after successfully reaching Ready for Start-Up (RFSU) for BW Opal on 16 September, initiating 60% of the contractual dayrate under the long-term charter of the FPSO.
First Gas represents a critical juncture in the formal transition from project to operations phase and demonstrates BW Opal’s readiness to deliver stable energy production., the company says.
The next milestone, Interim Performance Test (IPT), will increase the payable dayrate to 85%. The final milestone, Practical Completion (PC), will conclude the delivery phase, trigger 100% of the dayrate, and mark the commencement of the 15-year firm contract period, securing long-term revenues for BW Offshore under the charter agreement.
"Reaching First Gas on BW Opal is a tremendous achievement and a testament to the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of our teams, contractors, and partners," said Marco Beenen, CEO of BW Offshore. "It demonstrates our commitment to delivering complex projects safely and efficiently, while supporting energy security and value creation for our stakeholders."
The FPSO, designed to process 850 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gas and capacity of 11,000 barrels per day of stabilised condensate, left Seatrium’s Tuas Boulevard Yard in Singapore, where the topsides were constructed and fitted, in late May under tow for the Barossa gas field, located 285 kilometres offshore Darwin.
The project includes gas and condensate production from six subsea wells, processing at the 358 x 64-metre FPSO, condensate export via tankers and transport of natural gas via gas export pipeline (GEP) to the Darwin LNG facility.
BW Opal has an anticipated 25-year lifespan.