4 minute read
Our Team Gets the Job Done
At Heritage Petroleum Company Limited (Heritage), we depend on our sublicensed partners for nearly one-fifth of our production. Ensuring these operations are conducted in a safe, compliant and reliable manner, is the job of the Alliance and Contracts (A&C) team, which forms part of the Business Development Business Unit.
The A&C programme is expansive, comprising 39 blocks geographically located from Point Fortin to Guayaguayare, involving 19 different Operators under three contract models (Lease Operatorship Agreement, Farmout Agreement, Enhanced Production Service Contract). In 2020, the sublicensed blocks saw a decline in field activity due to low oil prices, COVID-19 and the fact that most of the sublicences were due for renewal.
Over the past year, the A&C team, managed by Mukesh Samlal and ably supported by the Legal Business Unit, Finance Business Unit, HSSE Business Unit and other departments, was able to negotiate and execute agreements with improved incentives for our Operators. These incentives will empower Operators to successfully execute and expand their operations including the drive for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods.
Twenty-seven block sublicenses were renewed/ extended during December 2020 to June 2021 and with Operators invigorated by Heritage’s long-term goals, they wasted no time in re-energising the fields to pre-pandemic/pre-renewal activity. Currently, there are three drilling rigs actively “making hole” in the WD-4 (Grande Ravine), WD-9 (Forest Reserve) and WD-16 (Quarry) Blocks. Another Operator recently completed a four well drilling campaign in the WD-7M Block.
Keeping track of all these activities is the colossal responsibility of our Field Auditors, who are our eyes, ears, hands and feet on the ground. The Field Auditor team led by Senior Field Auditor, Himmath Balkissoon, comprises Varma Arjoon, Mitchum Baney, Brijraj Mahabir, Ramchand Holass, Jamal Toppie and is ably
supported by HSSE Site Advisors Damian Ramesar and Gerard Nottingham. These gentlemen are the Heritage A&C representatives, who provide guidance, and advice on all activities conducted in our fields, thereby ensuring Heritage remains within the bounds of the industry regulations and best practices.
Varma Arjoon, one of our longest serving members stated, “What I like best about my role is that I get to be involved in the operations. Recently I was involved in a CO2 Injection Pilot Project at the Inniss-Trinity field, where it was great to see this application of EOR. This is truly what is required to improve recovery factors going forward, not to mention the potential positive impact on the climate, if executed correctly. Although the project saw limited production success, increased reservoir pressure and response to the CO2 injection on the off-set wells were observed.”
Field Auditor Jamal Toppie who joined the team in 2020, after spending a number of years in the Land Operations, said, “the Operators really learned a lot from Heritage, and we can learn a lot from them. In Land Business Unit and other parts of the business, we have Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in various areas. While we indeed benefit and glean from our knowledgeable colleagues, each Field Auditor must function as a 'Jack of all trades', to oversee and guide multidisciplinary operations across our 39 blocks.”
“Additionally, witnessing first-hand the innovation and technology being deployed by our sublicensed partners, is awe-inspiring. One example of this is the Star Valley Drilling Rig, Star Valley, which recently commenced drilling in the Touchstone blocks. The top drive of the Star Valley really makes a significant impact when compared to a conventional rotary table used by other land drilling rigs, not to mention that the Star Valley can walk from one cellar to the next cellar on the same surface location! I’ve also seen the innovation, final preparations underway for MEEI approval, to use a snubbing unit to drill shallow wells, automatic skimmers that remove small globules of oil from effluent pits to reduce negative environmental impact and the list goes on. Steve Jobs said that ‘innovation is the only way to win’. As our partners and Heritage innovate to safely, effectively and
Team work is the key to the success of the Alliance and Contracts team
consistently increase oil production, all shareholders across the value chain will most definitely win.”
The Field Auditors couldn’t do it without the rest of the A&C team! Our technical team gets the finer details done while keeping everyone on their toes, ensuring records, contractual and regulatory submissions are on track. Our Petroleum Engineers provide guidance and quality assurance, on all approvals and work programmes proposed by the sublicensed Operators. While A&C is a small team, we are highly knowledgeable, professional and cohesive. A&C, along with the rest of Business Development Business Unit, can proudly say “Our Team Gets the Job Done!”.
