North-Eastern Offshore Pipeline (NEO)

The National Gas Company constructed a natural gas pipeline off the east coast of Trinidad called the North-Eastern Offshore Pipeline.

• Design commenced in September 2007
• Procurement commenced  September 2009
• Construction commenced in  September 2009 and was completed in April 2011
• First Gas was delivered in May 2011
• The pipeline runs from the BHP Billiton Gas Export Platform (GEP) in the Angostura field, located off the Northeast coast of Trinidad, southwards until landfall at Mayaro Bay. The line continues on land to NGC’s New Abyssinia Accumulator Station (BUD) at its Beachfield facility
• water depth – 12- 62 m
• Size of pipe – 36” in diameter.
• Total length of the pipeline is approximately 94 km
• land segment -10.5km  – Local contractor: South M Construction Services Ltd
• marine segment- 83km – Foreign Contractor : Allseas
• HDD segment     -1.6 km   – Foreign contractor Michels
• FEED, Detailed Engineering and Design, Selective Procurement and Construction Management – TECHNIP
• Project Management – NGC
• Maximized procurement through Local Companies and Agencies
• The system has the capacity to deliver 1.2 billion cubic feet per day (BCF) based on a supply pressure of 950 psig (pounds per square inch) at the BHP Billiton GEP.
• NEO currently delivers 220 mmscfd per day to the system
• NEO  was constructed at a cost of $ US 550 M
• The project is the largest capital investment for a  natural gas  pipeline project undertaken to date by NGC

The Purpose of NEO

• Its Purpose: i) To extend NGC’s  pipeline infrastructure to new sources in the off shore area of the North East Coast of Trinidad.
• ii)  To ensure reliability of supply to NGC customers in Trinidad from these new sources
• iii) Tobago’s primary supply is the Pipeline to Tobago. If, however, the GEP is unable to supply gas to Tobago, NGC can supply (backflow) natural gas from its Beachfield Facility and BHP Toucan Platform via NEO.

Other interesting facts:

• The pipe used in the offshore segment was concrete coated to provide stability of the pipeline on the sea-bed, prevent it from floating or shifting and to reduce the risk of third party damage.
• The pipe was imported from India and concrete coated in La Brea.
• The pipe was received at Port Brighton and stored at NGC’s La Brea Industrial Estate
• NGC’s current pipeline network exceeds 1,000km
• 48” HDD performed at Mayaro to accommodate 36” NEO HDD section
• Have Sub- sea Pipeline End Terminals (PLETS) close to BHPB GEP to  remotely isolate platform from pipeline  during emergencies /Upsets and open subsea connection between 36” Neo Pipeline and 12” Tobago Line
• 2.4 million man-hours worked
• The New Abyssinia Accumulator Station

The New Abyssinia Accumulator was commissioned in 2005 as part of the Beachfield Upstream Development Project (BUD).

It is a Gas Receiving Facility designed to deliver 3 BCF of gas and capable of handling 5,000 barrels of condensate per day.  BUD included the rerouting of NGC’s existing lines- the 24”, 30” and the then newly constructed 36” line from the BP Cassia Field. However, it now also facilitates gas supplied by NEO. The facility has its own Automated Process Control System and an Automatic Shutdown System and boasts of being the first NGC facility with a flare which allows for safe blowout/ burning of gas inventory.