Construction has started in China on the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) topside destined for an ultra-deepwater development in Angola being developed by Azule Energy, a joint venture between Italy’s Eni and the UK’s BP.
The Greater PAJ project is described as Angola’s first integrated cross-block development, with first oil expected in less than three years, in the first half of 2029. The development brings together five offshore fields across two blocks, Palas, Astraea and Juno in Block 31 and Urano and Dione in Block 31/21.
The first steel cutting ceremony for the Greater PAJ FPSO topside process modules was held at Haiyang CIMC Raffles’ Haiyang yard in China, marking the start of the topside construction phase.
This comes one month after the project’s final investment decision (FID). “The ceremony brought together Azule Energy and CIMC Raffles representatives, to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in the delivery of a world-class floating production facility. This milestone, achieved one month after Greater PAJ Project Project’s Final Investment Decision (FID), reflects the commitment that Azule Energy, its partners and CIMC Raffles share in delivering the Project on schedule to the nation of Angola,” Azule Energy reported.
Greater PAJ is located approximately 200 kilometers offshore Angola in water depths ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 meters. The concept consists of 17 wells connected to a new FPSO vessel with a nameplate capacity of 95,000 barrels of oil per day and a gas export capacity of 70 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, which will be delivered to Angola LNG (ALNG) plant via a new gas export line that will be tied-in to the existing Block 31 gas export network.
Saipem secured a $1 billion contract for the project entailing the engineering, fabrication, transportation and installation of approximately 180 kilometers of rigid pipelines and subsea facilities, as well as the transportation and installation of 38 kilometers of flexible flowlines and jumpers and 54 kilometers of umbilicals. In a separate announcement, TechnipFMC reported that it had won a contract to design and manufacture flexible flowlines and risers to connect wells in water depths approaching 2,000 meters to a new floating production unit (FPU).
Baker Hughes will deliver subsea production systems and Vallourec will supply over 26,000 tons of seamless carbon steel line pipes .