Shell Offshore Inc., a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, has made a final investment decision (FID) for Whale, a deep-water development in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico that features a 99 percent replicated hull and an 80 percent replication of the topsides from its Vito project.
Whale will be the second Shell-operated deep-water development in the Gulf of Mexico. Shell anticipates an internal rate of return estimated to be greater than 25 percent. The Whale development will feature energy-efficient gas turbines and compression systems. The development will be the latest addition to its Gulf of Mexico portfolio, where its production is among the lowest greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity in the world for producing oil.
The Whale development, owned by Shell Offshore Inc. (60 percent operator) and Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (40 percent), is expected to reach peak production of approximately 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) and currently has an estimated, recoverable re