SLB wins Oman EPC deal to lift Bisat-B capacity to 548,000 bpd

Summary

• SLB secured an EPC contract from OQEP to expand the Bisat-B production facility in Oman.
• The expansion lifts gross fluids handling capacity at the plant to 548,000 barrels per day.
• It deepens a partnership running since 2018 across Oman's Bisat Field development.

The latest

Oman's Bisat Field is getting a bigger production plant. SLB said it has won a contract from OQ Exploration & Production covering design, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of the Bisat-B Expansion Production Facility, with completion targeted within 19 months. Once expanded, the plant's gross fluids handling capacity reaches 548,000 barrels per day, according to the company.

Details

• The scope: SLB said it will deliver the project on an integrated basis, from engineering through to commissioning, covering design, procurement and construction of the Bisat-B Expansion Production Facility. The award places a single contractor across the full delivery chain rather than splitting the work between separate engineering and construction providers.
• The timeline: The project is set for completion within 19 months, according to SLB. The company did not disclose the contract's value, nor did it state a start date for construction or a month for handover of the expanded facility.
• After handover: The contract extends beyond construction: SLB said it will provide four years of operations and maintenance support once the facility is delivered. That converts a one-off build into a multi-year service relationship tied to the operational performance of the Bisat Field.
• The capacity number: Following the expansion, the plant will boost its gross fluids handling capacity to 548,000 barrels per day, SLB said in a statement. Gross fluids covers total liquid volumes processed, including produced water alongside crude, so the figure is not a measure of oil output alone.
• The track record: The award follows SLB's delivery of the Bisat-A facility in 2018 and the original Bisat-B facility in 2020, the company said. It marks the next phase of development for the Bisat Field and builds on an existing working relationship between OQEP and the contractor.
• The company line: Jesus Lamas, President, Middle East and North Africa at SLB, said the firm was pleased to continue supporting OQEP in developing production infrastructure for the Bisat Field, combining global expertise with "decades of local experience in Oman" to support production growth.
• The operator: OQ Exploration & Production is the upstream arm of Omani group OQ. The award ties one of the country's main producers to an international energy technology contractor for the next phase of expansion at a field already served by two earlier facilities.
• Not disclosed: Neither party set out the expected production uplift in barrels of oil, the number of wells feeding the expanded plant, or the financing behind the award. No figure was given for how the new capacity compares with the facility's current handling limit.

Background

The Bisat Field's surface infrastructure has been built in stages: Bisat-A entered service in 2018, followed by the original Bisat-B facility in 2020. The current award adds an expansion plant to that base rather than developing a new standalone site.

Between the lines

The four-year operations and maintenance tail attached to the build signals that the operator is buying performance, not just a plant. That structure, combined with the 2018 and 2020 deliveries, points to a repeat-contractor pattern at Bisat. The gross fluids framing of the 548,000 barrels per day figure also suggests water handling is a material part of what the expanded facility is being sized for.

What's next

Watch for a construction start date, disclosure of the contract value, and confirmation of the completion window inside the stated 19 months. Any OQEP production guidance tied to the expanded Bisat-B plant would be the next concrete signal.

Source: TradeArabia, via Zawya