First gas flows from BP’s ‘biggest offshore facility’ in Trinidad and Tobago

BP’s subsidiary, bp Trinidad and Tobago (bpTT), has started production from its Cassia Compression (Cassia C) development project offshore Trinidad and Tobago.

Located 57 kilometres off the southeast coast of Trinidad, the Cassia C platform is BP’s 16th offshore facility in Trinidad and Tobago. The first gas from the facility was previously expected in 3Q 2021 but the platform was installed in late July 2021 and the timeline for the first gas was moved to 2022.

The Cassia C platform’s jacket – its legs and supporting frame – was built at TOFCO (Trinidad Offshore Fabricators) and installed in 2020 while the topside structure was built in the McDermott fabrication yard, Altamira, Mexico and was installed in 2021. The gas production from the Greater Cassia Area is expected to be routed to the Cassia C platform for compression before being transported via the adjacent existing Cassia B platform.

While announcing the achievement of the first gas on Tuesday, BP outlined that Cassia C was bpTT’s “first offshore compression platform and its biggest offshore facility,” which would enable it to access and produce low-pressure gas resources from the Greater Cassia Area. This platform is connected to the existing Cassia hub which lies approximately 35 miles off Trinidad’s southeast coast.

David Campbell, bpTT president, remarked: “First gas from Cassia C is an important milestone for BP in Trinidad and Tobago. This first offshore compression facility will allow us to unlock new resources and bring much-needed gas to market.”

The Cassia C platform is expected to produce, at peak, about 200-300 million standard cubic feet a day of gas. This will go towards meeting bpTT’s gas supply commitments and will be “important” to sustaining T&T’s LNG and petrochemical industries.

Ewan Drummond, BP senior vice president, projects, production, and operations, commented: “I am proud of our achievement to deliver this project while keeping our people safe throughout a global pandemic. Cassia C is a great example of bp’s resilient hydrocarbons strategy in action – providing the energy the world needs now and helping us invest in the energy transition.”

Furthermore, the Cassia C project is seen as “an important step” in bpTT’s Area Development Plan, which outlines the direction and pace of the company’s activities to develop hydrocarbon resources in its licensed marine acreage in Trinidad and Tobago. This plan includes a combination of exploration, development projects and activities focused on maximising production from bpTT’s acreage. 

BP further points out that the first gas from Cassia C follows the recent decision to proceed with the Cypre gas development and the execution of the gas supply agreement with the National Gas Company. 

The Cypre project will include seven wells and subsea trees tied back into bpTT’s existing Juniper platform via two new 14-kilometre flexible flowlines. Drilling is due to begin in 2023 and the first gas from the facility is expected in 2025.