Turkish Petroleum (TP) has awarded a consortium including SLB, Subsea7, and Saipem an engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract for the second planned development phase of the Sakarya gas field, Turkey’s largest gas reserve, in the Black Sea. The integrated project scope consists of subsea production systems (SPS) and subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines (SURF).

Project execution will be overseen by Saipem and Subsea Integration Alliance, which was formed in 2015 by OneSubsea™, the subsea technologies, production, and processing systems business of SLB, and Subsea7, a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services, to deliver integrated SPS and SURF systems and services.

Growing production and local jobs

Earlier this year, a consortium including SLB and Subsea7 achieved first gas as part of the Phase 1 EPCI project, bringing online 10 wells producing 10 million cubic meters per day (MSm3/d).

Phase 2 plans to develop another 26 wells to boost production capacity by an additional 30 MSm3/d. Following the completion of Phase 2, which is expected in 2028, it is estimated that 30% of Turkey’s natural gas needs will be met by Sakarya Field.

So far, the project has created 2,000 direct and 5,000 indirect jobs, stimulating Turkey’s domestic oil and gas industry.

Accelerating development

Phase 1 of the project was completed in just 30 months from gas discovery, in August 2020.

Working closely with Subsea7 and TP on Phase 1, SLB selected standard equipment designs that significantly reduced lead times for the manufacture of the SPS and SURF systems. SLB then worked closely with Subsea7 to coordinate the delivery and installation of SPS and SURF systems, avoiding any significant delays across various stages of the project.

“With the on-time delivery of an ambitious Phase 1 project schedule, SLB demonstrated its execution excellence in this challenging frontier region,” said Steve Gassen, president, Production Systems, SLB. “We will continue to work alongside TP and our partners to successfully achieve project objectives for Phase 2 and continue to unlock the value of Turkey’s largest gas reserve.”