Perla gas, condensates field to start in July: PdV

OREANDA-NEWS. March 25, 2015. Venezuelan state-owned PdV expects to start offshore natural gas and condensates production from the Perla field with its partners, Spain?s Repsol and Italy?s Eni, around early July once a production platform arrives from Mexico, according to PdV offshore gas manager Francisco Gonzalez.

The platform, built by Mexico's Monclova Industrial Group, left Tampico in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas on 21 March and should arrive in the Gulf of Venezuela in less than four months, Gonzalez said.

Monclova subsidiary Commsa in Mexico confirmed the departure of the platform.

The shallow-water Perla field, located in the Cardon 4 block about 50 miles (80km) off the coast of Falcon state, holds an estimated 16.3 trillion ft3 (450bn m3) of gas in place.

Repsol and Eni each hold 32.5pc in the Perla development. PdV holds the remaining 35pc.

Initial production has been estimated at 150mn ft?/d of gas and 3,600 b/d of condensates.

Gonzalez said output could rise to 450mn ft?/d and over 10,900 b/d of condensates in August, and 800mn ft?/d of gas and up to 30,000 b/d of condensates in mid-2017.

Some of the liquids will be exported, and some will be supplied locally to PdV's refineries and to petrochemical plants operated by its subsidiary Pequiven, Gonzalez added.

Perla gas will be supplied mainly to state-owned utility Corpoelec, allowing PdV to reduce some of the costly diesel imports used to generate power.

Repsol declined to comment on the project status.