bptt brings in new platform for more gas output

bptt has increased its potential output capacity to two billion cubic feet of gas per day (bcfgpd)with the introduction of the new Cassia B platform. At a ceremony marking its arrival at the Chagterms, Chaguaramus Bay on Tuesday, Robert Riley, CEO of bpTT said the facility was an engineering marvel and represents one of many firsts for bpTT, and for the energy industry in TT. He added that local participation on projects of this type has risen from one per cent to 15 percent. The components of the deck include a bridge and a flare boom which were built by local contractors, Damus. The Cassia B deck is the largest offshore gas-processing unit in the world and is part of the Kapok project, which the company started in 2000 to improve bpTT’s ability to deliver gas to its customers.

The deck is 6,250 tonnes with four leg jackets and eight external piles. Riley said the deck will act as a hub to process gas from the Kapok field and future fields. This gas will be fed directly to the company’s 48-inch Bombax pipeline. It is expected to service ALNG trains two, three and four, along with the new NGC pipelines set to come on stream by 2005. “Cassia B also allows us to compress the gas offshore and thereby increase our ability to boost gas reserves,” said Riley. The company invited members of the media and invited guests to tour the facility after a short ceremony. In protective helmets, goggles and boots, four teams were sent up to get a first hand look at the deck. Riley said Cassia B represents a major step forward in the way bpTT plans to manage future developments. The facility is unmanned making it safer than the company’s other platforms.