Woodside Energy reported in its third-quarter results that ten of the 24 subsea wells planned for the Trion project in the ultra-deepwater US Gulf had been drilled by the end of September. The company also reported that the first subsea tree had been installed on the development. The two milestones together show work advancing on both the drilling and the subsea installation sides of the project.
Transocean's Deepwater Thalassa drillship is carrying out the drilling campaign, which began in March. With ten wells drilled by the end of September, fourteen of the planned 24 remain to be drilled. The count offers a measure of progress through a programme intended to establish the full subsea well pattern for the development.
Setting the first tree marks the point at which the project moves beyond drilling into subsea completion and connection work. A subsea tree sits on the wellhead and provides the controlled interface between the well and the flowline system, so installing the first unit is a step toward making the drilled wells ready for production. The wells are subsea completions that will be tied back, which places tree installation and the associated connection work at the centre of the remaining scope.
For teams following ultra-deepwater execution in the Gulf, the quarterly disclosure provides a mid-campaign snapshot: a drillship on site since March, ten wells drilled, and the first tree set. The remaining fourteen wells, together with the tree installations and tie-back work that follow drilling, make up most of the scope still ahead. Updates of this kind, issued with the company's quarterly results, are the primary public indicator of how the campaign is tracking against its plan.
Source: Drilling Contractor
