Successful installation of Fénix Platform off the coast of Argentina
- Production platform for the Fénix offshore gas development successfully installed
- Project well on track for first gas end of 2024
- Fénix to contribute significant natural gas volumes for more than 15 years to Argentina’s energy supply
BUENOS AIRES / KASSEL / HAMBURG. Wintershall Dea and its partners TotalEnergies (operator) and Pan American Energy have successfully completed the installation of the Fénix platform, around 60 kilometer off the coast of Tierra del Fuego, in 70 meter water depth.
“The successful installation of the production platform marks another significant milestone for the Fénix field development, which keeps the project on track for the planned first gas in Q4 2024”, says Manfred Boeckmann, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea Argentina. “Fénix represents a material pillar for the growing domestic gas production and will support Argentina to meet the increasing demand and to offset imports, by contributing significant natural gas volumes for more than 15 years to the country’s long-term energy supply”, Boeckmann adds.
Given the size of the project, the logistics and the installation of the 4,800 ton platform were carried out in two phases: first the installation of the jacket with four piles in January, followed by the successful lift and setting of the 1,500 ton deck topside.
Starting on January 8, the deck was transported from the Rosetti Marino shipyard in Italy to Tierra del Fuego within a month on board the heavy transport ship HTV Interocean II. Four vessels were involved in the installation of both parts of the platform, led by Heerema’s heavy lift vessel Aegir. All work was completed safely and without incident.
The deck of the Fénix platform covers a surface area of 2,500 square meter and consists of five levels: the helipad, the upper deck, the main deck with the wellheads and instrument room, and the lower deck. The platform is designed to be operated from shore without the need for a permanent crew.
“With the installation of the platform we have completed the surface facilities part of the Fénix development project within the targeted schedule”, underlines Mariano Cancelo, Vice President Production and Development at Wintershall Dea in Argentina. “Our focus will now switch to the next step, which is the drilling of three production wells”, he says.
The drilling of the wells will be executed with a jack-up drilling rig which will be temporarily located next to the Fénix platform. First gas production is envisaged in November 2024.
Fénix is part of the world’s southernmost gas production concession CMA-1 in which Wintershall Dea and TotalEnergies (operator) each hold a 37.5 per cent share while Pan American Energy holds the remaining 25 per cent.
Wintershall Dea in Argentina
Wintershall Dea has been active in Argentina for 45 years. Today, the company has stakes in onshore and offshore fields in Neuquén and Tierra del Fuego and with these contributes significantly to Argentina’s energy supply. With a total production of about 66,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, Wintershall Dea is one of Argentina’s main gas producers.
About Wintershall Dea
Wintershall Dea is transforming from the leading European independent gas and oil company to become a leading European independent gas and carbon management company. We have more than 120 years of experience as an operator and project partner along the entire E&P value chain. The company with German roots and headquarters in Kassel and Hamburg explores for and produces gas and oil in 11 countries worldwide in an efficient and responsible manner. With activities in Europe, Latin America and the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa), Wintershall Dea has a global upstream portfolio and, with its participation in natural gas transport, is also active in the midstream business. And we develop carbon management and low carbon hydrogen projects to contribute to climate goals and secure energy supplies. More in our Annual Report.
As a European gas and oil company, we support the EU's 2050 carbon neutrality target. As our contribution we have set ourselves ambitious targets: We want to be net zero across our entire upstream operations – both operated and non-operated – by 2030. This includes Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect) greenhouse gas emissions on an equity share basis. Wintershall Dea will also bring its methane emissions intensity below 0.1 per cent by 2025. We endorsed the World Bank’s Initiative ‘Zero Routine Flaring by 2030’ and continue to support the initiative aimed at eliminating routine flaring in operated assets by 2030. In addition, we plan to support global decarbonisation efforts by building up a carbon management and hydrogen business to potentially abate 20-30 million tonnes of CO2 per annum by 2040. You can find more about this in our Sustainability Report.
Wintershall Dea was formed from the merger of Wintershall Holding GmbH and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG, in 2019. Today, the company employs more than 2,000 people worldwide from almost 60 nations.
The shareholders of Wintershall Dea (BASF and LetterOne) and Harbour Energy plc (Harbour) signed a business combination agreement in December 2023 to transfer Wintershall Dea’s E&P business consisting of its producing and development assets as well as exploration rights in Norway, Argentina, Germany, Mexico, Algeria, Libya (excluding Wintershall AG), Egypt and Denmark (excluding Ravn) as well as Wintershall Dea’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) licenses to Harbour. Until closing, Wintershall Dea and Harbour will continue to operate as independent companies. The transaction is, among other things, subject to approvals of merger control and foreign investment authorities in several countries. Subject to these regulatory approvals, closing is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2024. See the full BASF release here.
