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Partners in the Chad-Cameroon oil development project Monday reported first oil operations and the startup of pipeline fill activities. Once central treating facilities and drilling operations are completed, the $3.5 billion project is expected to reach oil production of 225,000 b/d, project partner ChevronTexaco Corp. said. The pipeline, which was completed a year ahead of schedule, will transport oil more than 660 miles from Bolobo, Miandoum, and Kome oil fields, near Doba in Chad, through eastern Cameroon, and on to an export terminal facility at Kribi, Cameroon, in the Gulf of Guinea. From there, oil will be shipped to a floating storage and offloading vessel 7 miles offshore for export. Partners in the project are ExxonMobil Corp. unit Esso Exploration & Production Chad Inc., operator with 40%, ChevronTexaco 25%, and Malaysian oil company Petronas 35%. Construction on the project began in October 2000, pipeline installation began in 2001 in parallel with construction of oil field processing facilities, and first drilling of the planned 300 wells started in late 2001 (OGJ Online, Oct. 19, 2000). ExxonMobil said that the project is expected to produce for Chad an economic development value of $2.5-8.5 billion over its life, depending on oil price volatility.
