Subsea boosting is seen as an effective means of increasing recovery while also extending the lives of existing fields. But prohibitive costs, combined with the bulk and complexity of topsides equipment for underwater pumps, have meant it remains a rare luxury for most operators.
Of around 1500 subsea fields worldwide, only about 25 fields with 5000 active wells have subsea pumps installed to boost recovery, including Total’s Girassol and Pazflor off Angola, and Chevron’s Jack-St Malo in the Gulf of Mexico, based on figures from Oslo-based research firm Rystad Energy.
