Xodus' Intelligent Monitoring Service is already being used on Woodside's North West Shelf assets after Origin Energy ran complex scheduling scenarios for the upstream component of Australia Pacific LNG with the same technology.

 

Now the UK-based group has been awarded two environment and social impact assessment contracts for projects in the Rufisque, Sangomar and Sangomar Deep blocks in west Africa.

 

Xodus will undertake the study for drilling activities in the Sangomar and Rufisque blocks for Cairn Energy, which operates the RSSD blocks. 

 

It will also perform an ESIA for the Phase 1 development, comprising a floating production storage and offloading vessel, over the SNE deepwater oil field in the Sangomar Deep block for Woodside as development lead for SNE Phase 1.   

 

The scope also includes safety studies that Xodus' Technical Safety and Risk division will work with the environmental team to deliver, along with its in-country partner Earth Systems to help Cairn subsidiary Capricorn and Woodside ensure compliance with Senegalese environmental law.   

 

Capricorn has a 40% working interest in the joint venture, alongside partners Woodside (35%), Melbourne FAR (15%) and Senegalese national oil company Petrosen (10%). 

 

The SNE well was one of the world's largest oilfield discoveries in 2014.  

 

Transfer of operatorship to Woodside for the development phase is due to occur next year with Cairn continuing exploration activities on the acreage.  

 

The JV plans to submit an evaluation report and exploitation plan to Senegal's government in 2018, by the end of which a final investment decision should have been made following the completion of the front-end engineering and design phase.   

 

Xodus CEO Wim van der Zande said the awards built on the firm's experience and strong working relationship with Cairn on several phases of field architecture development planning. 

 

"This is a major project for the country and we are proud to be part of this as it moves towards a new stage of development," he said.