Publications

The paper will address recent offshore upstream projects together with evolutions and trends for upcoming offshore upstream initiatives in the short- and mid-term future, in the current energy transition period with increasingly lower carbon footprint requirements. From an initial review of Eni’s latest oil and gas hubs development features and stories, the paper will discuss trends for new project development architectures and features for new facilities, tiebacks and expansion of existing hubs, and energy efficient solutions over the full development and operation life cycle. On major gas developments, FLNG facilities offer early development and production opportunities for small to medium size scattered fields. They are much needed in the current energy situation without needing to compete with longer and broader baseload hub developments in regional scale areas. Leading opportunities are in multiple fields building a network over time with strategic hubs to treat and boost gas, towards upgrades of existing liquefaction facilities. As far as oil developments are concerned, recent developments encourage the expansion of existing hubs through continually longer tiebacks, using available capacities and maximizing the flexibility of existing infrastructures. The approach is to progressively develop all reservoirs of a grouped area, building upon development and production knowledge, going to the limits of installed capacities, and managing flow-assurance risks through alternative approaches. In this transition period, energy is being preserved and recovered to higher potentials, low carbon footprint solutions are implemented, best use of steel principles are applied including extended life, and efforts are geared towards best use of spare capacities, reuse of equipment, floaters conversions, production by considering all installed capacities, and coordinated preventive maintenance as preferential to having spare and unused availability. Offshore Upstream developments are required not to have carbon impacts. The energy transition is requiring new developments be made in new-preserving ways.