Abstract
PT Pertamina EP operates a large number of mature oil and gas fields across Indonesia, some of which have been producing for over 70 years. These fields are typically characterized by aging facilities, depleted reservoir pressures, extensive artificial lift, very high water cut, produced water management issues and sometimes a shortage of fuel gas supply, which creates enormous challenges for operators. In 2007 Pertamina embarked on a campaign of field reviews to try to identify to the true potential of the fields and reverse the production decline. The reviews followed Shell's ‘Producing the Limit’ business process and made use of technical expertise from both Pertamina and Shell.
Each review covered the complete field or structure from reservoir to export and used a multi-discipline team of staff with an intimate knowledge of the field, paired up with external ‘Technical Challengers’. The process provided a structured and systematic approach for mapping out and analyzing a field and helped to identify the maximum production that could be achieved under ideal conditions. A portfolio of opportunities (or projects) were then developed which would allow the current production to be increased towards that limit. Every review included a field visit to validate opportunities and to gather ideas from operations staff. Asset integrity and HSE issues were also addressed, since these would ultimately impact on field performance.
By end 2009 a total of thirteen reviews had been completed, which evaluated opportunities to more than double the production from the fields and identified new exploration and appraisal prospects which could extend the field life. The implementation programme has already generated a 37% increase in production potential. In addition, 30 best practices have been shared amongst the teams, several high risk asset integrity issues have been addressed and the multi-discipline teamwork has continued as a standard way of working.
