World’s deepest dry-tree spar begins production

Dominion Exploration & Production has started petroleum production from a field in the Gulf of Mexico using the world’s deepest dry-tree spar, the company said May 5.

The Devils Tower field, about 140 miles southeast of New Orleans, is expected to produce 60 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent during its first year of production, the company said.

The spar can handle up to 60,000 barrels of oil and 110 million cubic feet of gas daily. Located in 5,610 feet of water, the facility sets a record depth for use of a dry-tree spar, which sits on a platform where a crew works the well.

Dominion Exploration & Production, a subsidiary of Richmond, Va.,-based Dominion Resources, owns a 75 percent share of the project. Pioneer Natural Resources Co., based in Irving, Texas, owns the other 25 percent.