Chevron beefs up communications

B2.73bn offshore link to enhance monitoring

Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production Ltd has invested 2.73 billion to upgrade the communication network between its offshore platforms in the Gulf of Thailand and onshore sites.

The network will be developed by CAT Telecom, which will lay undersea optical-fibre cables, according to Chevron Thailand president Pairoj Kaweeyanun.

Under the contract Chevron and CAT signed yesterday, the new network is expected to start operating in 2012, while the service contract covers 15 years from this year.

Mr Pairoj said the high-speed network would complement existing telecommunication via satellite and microwave. For the first phase, the company will link the networks of eight oil platforms out of more than 200 operating platforms in total, with another two platforms to be connected soon.”This new network will improve our communication across our major platforms in the Gulf of Thailand with the onshore remote controller. This will result in improvements in oil drilling and petroleum field efficiency with real-time monitoring,” said Mr Pairoj.

“We can monitor and deal with any accident in each platform immediately. This will not only cut our cost but will also ensure more safety in dealing with any such accident.”

The company drills as many as 300 gas and oil wells each year so it needs accurate data to be exchanged between platforms and onshore controllers.

Chevron Thailand currently has average daily gas output of 1,600 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd), crude oil output of 95,000 barrels per day and condensate of 40,000 barrels per day.

The company intends to invest US$3 billion between 2012 and 2020 in order to lift gas output to nearly 2,000 mmscfd and to maintain crude and condensate volumes at current levels.

CAT Telecom CEO Jirayuth Rungsrithong said the state telecom enterprise expected to earn 200 million baht a year in telecommunication fees from Chevron Thailand over the 15 years.

CAT will also will approach PTT Exploration and Production Plc to consider high-speed internet service since the optical-fibre network initially would be used at only 20% of capacity, added Mr Jirayuth.

“This new network will serve demand for bandwidth in the future and is expected to serve 13 million internet users,” he said.

CAT has a total of 30,000 kilometres of undersea optical-fibre lines linking with four onshore stations along the coast of the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea and three other onshore stations onshore linked via satellite.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/199102/chevron-beefs-up-communications