OREANDA-NEWS. GE Oil & Gas (NYSE: GE) today announced it has completed the assembly of the final group of subsea production trees for the Chevron-operated Gorgon Project, one of the world's largest natural gas projects located off the coast of Western Australia.

Subsea trees are a key component of a subsea gathering system, consisting of various assemblies of valves, spools and fittings, used to monitor and control the flow of production wells. They also manage the fluids and gas that are injected into subsea wells.

At twice the capacity of those previously manufactured by GE, the 20 subsea trees are the first 7-inch, full bore trees that GE Oil & Gas has ever produced. The trees were specifically designed to manage production from the high rate gas field in the Gorgon development.

The trees were designed, assembled and prepared for shipment in Aberdeen and Montrose in Scotland. The controls modules incorporated within the tree were designed, manufactured and assembled in Nailsea in the U.K., while GE’s operation in Norway provided the connection systems.

The final shipment of trees has now begun its journey to Western Australia and upon arrival, it will be transported to GE’s Jandakot services and training facility in Perth for pre-installation testing before being deployed in the Greater Gorgon fields where it will operate at depths of up to 1,350 meters (4,429 feet).

The Gorgon Project involves the development of the Greater Gorgon Area gas fields, including the Gorgon and Jansz-Io fields, located between 130 and 220 kilometres off the northwest coast of Western Australia. The Gorgon Project also is the largest single resource project in Australia's history.

GE’s subsea trees supply contract is part of a series of agreements with Chevron, valued at a combined USD 1.7 billion, to deliver subsea production equipment and advanced turbomachinery as well as long-term services to support the Gorgon Project.

GE Oil & Gas’ Subsea Systems business has reliably served the offshore market for more than 50 years and is at the forefront of global subsea field development, with advanced system integration capabilities and more than 7,000 systems installed worldwide.