Total brings Moho Phase 1b on stream (Congo)

French oil major Total has brought on stream the Moho Phase 1b project, located 75 kilometers off the coast of Pointe-Noire in the Republic of the Congo.

The project is operated by Total and has a production capacity of 40,000 barrels oil equivalent per day (boe/d).

“Moho Phase 1b is our ninth start-up since the beginning of the year and will contribute to our strong production growth in the years to come,” commented Arnaud Breuillac, President Exploration & Production.

“The start-up of this project, in line with the original schedule, constitutes a further success for Total’s growth strategy in deep offshore, particularly in West Africa. It follows the start-up of Dalia Phase 1A on Angola’s Block 17 in July this year and more recently, the Lianzi field which straddles the deep offshore of Congo and Angola.”

According to the French major, Moho Phase 1b, located in water depths ranging from 750 to 1,200 meters, involves the drilling of 11 new subsea wells and the installation of the two most powerful subsea multiphase pumps in the world. It is tied back to the existing Floating Production Unit (FPU) Alima of the Moho Bilondo field, producing since 2008.

The nearby Moho Nord development, launched concurrently with Moho Phase 1b in 2013, is ongoing and will add a further 100,000 boe/d of capacity, Total said.

Moho Phase 1b and Moho Nord are part of the Moho Bilondo license operated by Total E&P Congo with a 53.5% participating interest. The other partners are Chevron Overseas (Congo) Limited (31.5%) and the Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (15.0%).

Jay Johnson, executive vice president Upstream, Chevron Corporation, said: “First oil from the Moho Bilondo Phase 1b development is the latest successful start-up in our diverse portfolio of deepwater projects, which we expect to generate value for years to come.”

Ali Moshiri, president of Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Company, said: “The project integrates the unique skills and expertise of multiple partners to deliver challenging projects and new energy production.”

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