Approximately 90.84 percent of the current oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut in as of Saturday due to Hurricane Ida, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
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Approximately 84.87 percent of gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has also been shut in, said the bureau. Production percentages are calculated using information submitted by offshore operators in daily reports.
Operations have been halted because personnel were evacuated from 279 oil and gas production platforms in preparation for the storm. A notice from the bureau said that the evacuations took place at 49.82 percent of the 560 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico as of 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
These production platforms are structures located offshore from which oil and gas are produced. While drilling rigs can typically move from place to place, production platforms remain in one location for the duration of a project, explained the bureau.
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In addition to the platform evacuations, personnel have been evacuated from 11 dynamically positioned rigs – which maintain their location using thrusters and propellers – operating in the Gulf of Mexico. These rigs have moved off location to avoid the projected path of Ida.
As part of the evacuation process, sub-surface safety valves located below the surface of the ocean floor are closed to prevent the release of oil or gas. This effectively shuts in production from wells in the Gulf and protects marine and coastal environments, said the bureau.
“After the storm has passed, facilities will be inspected,” the bureau said. “Once all standard checks have been completed, production from undamaged facilities will be brought back online immediately. Facilities sustaining damage may take longer to bring back online.”
As of Saturday afternoon, Hurricane Ida was intensifying over the Gulf, according to the National Hurricane Center and Pacific Hurricane Center. It is expected to be a dangerous storm.
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