On 8 July the StatoilHydro Houston subsidiary received first oil and gas from the Murphy Oil-operated Thunder Hawk field in the US Gulf of Mexico.
The Thunder Hawk field production unit has a production capacity of 45,000 barrels of oil per day and 70 million cubic feet of natural gas per day (approximately 0.7 BCM per year). With the Tahiti production received in May, StatoilHydro has more than doubled its production from the Gulf of Mexico in a few months.
"Getting Thunder Hawk on production was an important milestone for us this year," said Øivind Reinertsen, head of StatoilHydro’s upstream operations in the US and in Mexico.
"We are now moving into a new phase in the Gulf, with substantial production and operated drilling scheduled for this autumn. We have made considerable investments in the Gulf and this production start is yet more proof that the company used sound judgment when entering the Gulf a few years ago.”
Thunder Hawk was discovered in 2004 and sanctioned in 2006. The field is located in Mississippi Canyon block 734. The semi-submersible platform will receive production from three subsea wells in water depths of more than 1,700 meters.
StatoilHydro holds a 25% working interest in the Thunder Hawk field. Operator Murphy Oil has 37.5%, ENI 25% and Marubeni Oil & Gas (USA) Inc 12.5%.