GRANT, JAMES R., Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Camarillo, CA; MELINDA S. MAYES, Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Camarillo, CA

ABSTRACT: Case History: A Successful Development Incorporating Environmental Compliance, Santa Ynez Unit, Pacific OCS, Offshore California

Exxon Company, U.S.A., is pursuing the development of crude oil and gas reserves in the Santa Ynez Unit (SYU). The SYU, located 25 miles west of Santa Barbara, California, is composed of 14 Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leases that encompass approximately 76,289 acres.

The Hondo oil field within the SYU was discovered in 1968. Installed in 842 feet of water in 1976, Platform Hondo began producing in 1981 and, by the end of December 1991, had produced 114.7 MMbbl of oil and 170.4 Bcf gas. The produced oil/water emulsion and fuel gas are transported by Exxon pipelines for processing to a floating converted oil tanker called the Offshore Storage and Treating facility.

Exxon is currently in the midst of a major expansion at the SYU. The installation of Platforms Harmony and Heritage, pipelines, power cables, and an onshore processing facility has served as major steps toward successful development of the SYU. Platforms Harmony and Heritage were installed in 1,198 and 1,075 feet of water, respectively, making them two of the deepest fixed conventional platforms in the world. With the addition of the two new platforms, SYU combined oil production is expected to peak in the mid-1990's at 90,000 barrels per day.

A key to that development has been the tremendous cooperative

efforts of project review, permitting, and monitoring of construction activities by Exxon, the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service, and other Federal, State, and local agencies. The OCS leasing moratoria and heightened environmental awareness in the United States underscore the need to minimize or eliminate potential adverse environmental impacts resulting from such projects. Several key issues raised by the expansion include mitigation of air quality impacts and fishing conflicts and resolution of oil transportation options. The success of this project to date shows that development efforts can move forward when the necessary coordination and mitigation measures are incorporated and implemented.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90987©1993 AAPG Annual Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 25-28, 1993.