| Client | Groupement Rhourde El Khrouf Field (Sonatrach – Moeve JV) |
| Project | Rhourde El Khrouf Field 2.0 FEED & FEEP |
| Sector | Energy & Chemicals |
| Services | FEL 3 – FEED |
| Location | Algeria |
Objective
To deliver Front-End Engineering Design (FEED), and Front End Execution Planning (FEEP – similar to Owners Engineer), for a technically and economically competitive development plan for the Rhourde El Khrouf Field (RKF) 2.0 project, enabling the recovery of remaining reserves from the RKF while ensuring operational sustainability and safety.
Project Scope
The RKF 2.0 project, located in the Algerian desert, encompasses:
- Reservoir Development: EOR (combination of WAG, GI, GL), drilling 23 new producing and injection wells and optimising existing wells.
- Facility Upgrades: Constructing a new Central Processing Facility (CPF) with a capacity for 15.8 kbpd oil production, 45 kbpd water injection, 135 MMSCFD gas injection and LPG/NGL handling.
- Infrastructure Enhancements: Including daisy-chain well fluid gathering systems, pipelines to El Merk and an overhead power line from the Ourhoud substation.
- Brownfield Tie–In’s: Existing wells, flowlines, industrial base, oil export line re-use, El Merk LPG export tie-in.
- Accelerated Water Injection: Prioritising water injection readiness 16 months ahead of first oil production.
- Environmental and Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring design aligns with Algerian and international standards through comprehensive HSEQ measures.
Key Execution Metrics & Outcomes
Key Execution Metrics
- Total Duration: 45 weeks (FEED technical + EPCC ITT) 76 weeks (FEEP – extended due to stakeholder alignment between JV partners)
- Total Number of Deliverables: 1084
- Full Time Equivalents (at peak): 48 (total of 113)
- Weekly Progress Achieved (at peak): 4.8%
- Client Management: post COVID, remote management with numerous meetings and workshops held in person at io’s offices in London.
Outcomes
- Technical Feasibility: New CPF design and daisy-chain gathering systems are robust and align with long-term production goals. Process resilience to transient phenomena has been validated.
- Technical Certainty: Detailed FEED across multiple disciplines with outcomes feeding the cost and schedule estimate and basis for EPCC ITT.
- Cost and Procurement Insights: Class 3 cost estimates were delivered, but limited market responsiveness highlighted challenges in securing bids for some equipment.
Outcomes
- Optimisations: Key decisions included relocating the CPF to reduce risk, simplifying hot oil systems, and combining flowlines for CAPEX and OPEX savings.
- Brownfield Details: Site survey to existing assets to ensure certainty of brownfield tie-in design and existing processing facilities capacities.
- HSE Success: Workshops identified and mitigated risks, ensuring designs are ALARP and compliant with safety standards.
- Local Content: All safety and environmental studies managed by io via local sub-contractor- Etude De Danger (EDD), QRA, ESHIA and PLANC.
- Execute Certainty: Engage with local vendors to address gaps in procurement and improve market responsiveness.
- Operations Readiness: comprehensive suite of delivery including an Operational Model combing subsurface, wells, surface and processing facility.
- FID Readiness: IPA reviews, host and support numerous workshops conducted by IPA reviewing projects readiness for FID (technically and commercially).
- Owners Engineering: Finalise and approve the Class 2 cost estimate and Level 3 schedule post-EPC bidder selection. Prepare iPEP and iSOR.
io Value Add
io played a central role in the RKF 2.0 FEED by:
- Comprehensive Planning: Developed and delivered a robust FEED and FEEP.
- Stakeholder Alignment: Facilitated collaboration with Sonatrach and CEPSA, ensuring project goals were met within budget and schedule.
- Certainty: Brownfield tie-ins and mitigations to risks on reliance with third parties.
- Value Protection: Having successfully completed the concept re-select and pre-FEED for RKF 2.0, leading to a more economic development, io was meticulous in protecting value created in those FEL phases.
- Technical Excellence: Validated designs through advanced modelling, ensuring resilience and efficiency in CPF operations.
- Optimisation Leadership: Implemented value improvement practices, resulting in CAPEX and OPEX savings while enhancing project safety and operability.
Through its expertise in project management, engineering and HSEQ assurance, io laid a strong foundation for the successful execution of the RKF 2.0 project.
