Kaminho Deepwater Project, Angola

The Kaminho Deepwater Project in offshore, Angola, is the first large deepwater development in the Kwanza basin.

The final investment decision on the project was taken in May 2024.

According to Angola’s national hydrocarbon agency Agencia Nacional de Petroleo e Gas (ANPG), the offshore project will entail an investment of $6bn.

It is expected to commence production in 2028.

Kaminho Project Location and Ownership

The Kaminho Deepwater project is within Block 20/11, around 100km off the coast of Luanda, the capital of Angola. The water depth in the region is around 1,700m.

The block is operated by TotalEnergies E&P Angola Block 20 with a 40% stake. Petronas Angola E&P (PAEPAL) (40%), and Sonangol Pesquisa & Produção (20%) are the other partners in the project.

Kaminho Project Development

The Kaminho Deepwater Project will involve the development of two fields- Cameia and Golfinho, in two phases.

The development will involve the conversion of a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) to a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit. The vessel would become TotalEnergies seventh FPSO in Angola.

Key components of the project will include a Subsea, Umbilicals, Risers, and Flowlines (SURF) package consisting of approximately 30km of 8-inch and 10-inch subsea flowlines and risers, and umbilicals.

The FPSO vessel will be connected to a subsea production network.

During the development of Cameia field in the first phase, a highly configurable subsea production platform with a standardised vertical monobore subsea tree, wellhead, and controls system will be deployed.

The electricity powered FPSO will be designed to eliminate routine flaring and minimise greenhouse gas emissions.

The offshore project will entail more than 10 million man-hours including construction at local yards and offshore operations.

Production from Kaminho will plateau at 70,000 barrels of oil per day (bo/d). The associated gas recovered from the reservoirs will be injected back.

Contractors Involved

In July 2024, TotalEnergies awarded a contract to SLB’s OneSubsea joint venture for a 13-well Subsea Production System along with associated equipment and services for the Kaminho project.

The SLB Onesubsea is a joint venture of three companies: SLB, SubSea7, and Aker Solutions.

SLB OneSubsea will support the development of the project by delivering assembly and manufacturing of modules, installation, commissioning, and life of field services.

TotalEnergies E&P Angola Block 20 engaged Saipem for the development of the deepwater development in May 2024.

Saipem won three separate contracts with a combined value of $3.7bn.

The first contract consists of the Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Transportation, and Commissioning (EPCTC) of the FPSO.

The second contract involves the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the FPSO for 12 years. The contract is extendable by eight years depending on the expertise acquired from the other three FPSOs operating currently in the area.

The third contract includes the engineering, procurement, supply, construction, installation, pre-commissioning, and assistance for the start-up of the SURF package.

The fabrication of the associated structures will be conducted by Saipem at its local yard in Ambriz.

Saipem will deploy its J-lay vessel (Saipem 7000) for the offshore campaigns supported by the local supply chain for fabrication and logistics activities.

Vallourec, which provides tubular solutions and pipelines for the energy sector, was contracted by TotalEnergies in July 2024 for the supply of almost 5,000 tonnes of Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) solutions and associated services for Kaminho.

As agreed, Vallourec would supply its range of VAM connections and use environmentally-friendly CLEANWELL dope-free solution. The Group will also provide its offshore expertise via VAM Field Service as well as its Tubular Management Services (TMS) offering.

All these products will be manufactured at Vallourec plants in France, Brazil, and Indonesia.