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Mars B
Mars B will add new infrastructure to help boost production at the Mars Field, located in the Gulf of Mexico. Production from the new platform is expected to start in around 2015 and at peak will add 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
Key facts
| Location: | Gulf of Mexico, USA |
|---|---|
| Depth: | 914 metres (3,000 feet) |
| Interests: | Shell (71.5% & operator) and BP (28.5%) |
| Fields: | Mars |
| Design Production: | 100 kbbl/d |
Project development
Shell took final investment decision on the Mars-B development, including a new tension leg platform (TLP) called Olympus, in September 2010. The TLP is the second at the Mars field and the sixth of its type for Shell in the Gulf of Mexico.
The development will add the six-well West Boreas/South Deimos subsea developments. The US government approved the West Boreas/South Deimos exploration plan and West Boreas-001 application for a permit to drill on July 11, 2011. We used the Noble Jim Day, a semisubmersible drilling rig, to drill the initial West Boreas development well.
The government approved our Olympus exploration plan and application for permit to drill towards the end of 2011. We plan to start development drilling at the site of the Olympus TLP with the Noble Bully One Drillship in spring 2012.
We discovered the Mars Field in 1989 and started production in 1996. Located in the Mississippi Canyon Protraction Area of the Gulf of Mexico, the field lies in around 914 metres (3,000 feet) of water. It is a prolific deep-water oil field and provides part of the Gulf of Mexico’s critical contribution to the US energy supply.
The Mars Field has been one of Shell’s most important fields over the last 15 years. When we discovered the field in 1989 we estimated the field to have nearly 700 million boe of resources. Between then and the end of 2011 the field produced 770 million boe: this is more than the original resources estimate. By the end of 2011 we still see around 1.1 billion boe in the field still to be produced.
We initially developed the field using the Mars A 24 well tension leg platform. Given the field’s sizeable resources, we assessed the need for additional infrastructure to boost the continued development of the field. In September 2010, we decided to proceed with the commercial agreements and development plans for the Mars B Project.
Technology
Mars B will add new infrastructure to the Mars Field: an Olympus tension leg platform, with 24 well slots and a self-contained drilling rig; the West Boreas subsea system; and an oil and gas export system, including a WD-143C shallow-water platform.
This project extends the life of the Mars Field to at least 2050. We aim to start production in around 2014, producing at a rate of 100k boe
Environment and society
During the project’s development and operations, Mars B will generate opportunities for the Gulf of Mexico region through the creation of jobs, revenue, and better infrastructure.
It is also investing $5m in community and environmental initiatives, partnering with groups that include The Nature Conservancy, Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, and LA-1 Coalition.
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