BOEMRE approves Gulf’s first deepwater FPSO facility gCaptain Total Views: 105 March 17, 2011 NEW ORLEANS – The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) today provided the final approval necessary for Petrobras America, Inc. to begin oil and natural gas production at its Cascade-Chinook project using a Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) facility. This will be the first time this technology is used in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. BOEMRE approved the project’s Production Safety System permit and Supplemental Deepwater Operating Plan (DWOP), to ensure that stringent safety regulations were met. The FPSO has a production capacity of 80,000 barrels of oil per day and 16 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. With the completion of this final regulatory step, production from this facility is expected to begin in the near future. For a history of the regulatory and environmental reviews associated with the first use of an FPSO in the Gulf of Mexico, go to: http://gomr.boemre.gov/homepg/offshore/fpso/fpso.html . The Cascade-Chinook oil and natural gas project, located in the Walker Ridge area of the Gulf, approximately 165 miles offshore Louisiana in 8,200 feet of water, will use an FPSO, the B.W. Pioneer, which is a floating facility that has the capability to process oil and natural gas, store the crude oil in tanks located in the facility’s hull, and offload the crude to shuttle tankers for transportation to shore. Natural gas processed by the facility will be transported to shore by pipeline. Petrobras’ FPSO will be equipped with a disconnectable turret-buoy. In the event of a hurricane or tropical storm, the facility is designed to disconnect from the turret-buoy and move off location until the storm has passed. “These regulatory approvals pave the way for safe, new production of oil and gas resources in the Gulf of Mexico,” said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich. “They reflect enormous and sustained effort by both BOEMRE and