Francesco Verre, Eni, shares planning for cost-effective preparedness.
Being ready to operate is one of the most critical steps in the development of an oil field. For complex projects characterized by technical risks and challenges, a structured approach is mandatory to ensure operational excellence and readiness.
This study shows the methodology adopted by Agip KCO to achieve operational readiness for the Kashagan Field development project by means of a management system called Operations Readiness and Assurance (ORA). The ORA process assures that the field production facilities are designed, built, commissioned, and started up with account taken for lifecycle operations requirements. This will lead to a safe, cost-effective, and quick ramp up to target production levels. This methodology has been successfully applied at the Kashagan field. Kashagan is an extremely complex development in terms of technical issues that involve high-pressure, sour-hydrocarbon reservoir development in a hostile environment. The management system applied through this methodology has enabled the operations team to be integrated fully in the field development, so that the team serves as a key decision maker in facilities operability and risk mitigation.
