According to the Dutch offshore services company, the Deep Panuke production jackup has been removed from its location 250km southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The platform leased to Encana by SBM Offshore was installed at about 47km West of Sable Island in a water depth of 45 meters.
The Deep Panuke Offshore Gas Development Project is operated by Ovintiv Canada ULC (formerly Encana) . Production began in August 2013, and was permanently shut-in in May 2018. The Deep Panuke Offshore Gas Development Project operated on a seasonal basis from 2015-2018, with production only during the colder winter months, when natural gas prices were higher. The Deep Panuke Offshore Gas Development Plan estimated the most likely volume of natural gas that would be produced, over the expected production life of 13 years, to be 17.8 billion cubic meters or 632 billion cubic feet.
The gas produced and processed offshore was transported via subsea pipeline to shore, and ultimately, to markets in Canada and the United States. The Deep Panuke Offshore Gas Development Project utilized a jack-up type offshore production platform, called the Production Field Centre, which was tied back to the four subsea production wells by subsea flow lines. The Production Field Centre was designed for a peak gas rate of 8.5 million cubic metres per day, or 300 million standard cubic feet per day.
The raw gas produced at The Deep Panuke Offshore Gas Development Project contained approximately 0.18% hydrogen sulphide; therefore, gas sweetening equipment was installed on the Production Field Centre. An amine unit was used to remove hydrogen sulphide along with carbon dioxide, both of which are considered acid gas. After removal, the acid gas was injected into a purpose drilled disposal well.
Production from the four Deep Panuke Offshore Gas Development Project wells was permanently shut-in in May 2018.
(Source and image: SBM Offshore/Ovintiv/CNSOPB)