Production Starts at Noble's Gunflint in Gulf of Mexico

Noble Energy has commenced production at the Company's Gunflint oil development in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The two-well field is ramping up and is anticipated to reach a minimum gross production of 20 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (MBoe/d), with oil representing approximately 75 percent of the volumes produced.  

The Gunflint development, located at Mississippi Canyon Block 948, is a subsea tie-back to the Gulfstar One facility owned by Williams Partners L.P. and Marubeni Corporation. Water depths are 3,900 to 6,100 feet.

The Gunflint project is Noble’s fourth major offshore project completed within the past nine months, including the start-up of Big Bend and Dantzler in the Gulf of Mexico as well as the non-operated Alba B3 compression platform in Equatorial Guinea. 

Noble says it is leveraging new project startups and has increased 2016 sales volumes in the Gulf of Mexico to nearly double 2015. The company has a strategy to focus on capital-efficient subsea tie-back opportunities. In the deepwater market, an integrated approach to exploration, appraisal and development has led to short discovery to production cycle times. For example, Big Bend was brought online three years after discovery.

Noble Energy operates the Gunflint field with a 31.14 percent working interest. Other working interest owners include Ecopetrol America with 31.50 percent, Samson Offshore Mapleleaf with 19.13 percent and Marathon Oil with 18.23 percent.