OMV Petrom and Romgaz announced that it has completed the installation of the Neptun Alpha offshore production platform in the Black Sea, keeping the project on schedule for natural gas production to start in 2027.
The facility, located in water depths of approximately 120 metres, weighs over 16,500 tonnes and stands more than 225 metres tall.
Saipem manufactured the support jacket at its shipyard in Arbatax, Italy, while building the platform topsides in Karimun, Indonesia. To secure the structure to the seabed, workers drove eight piles measuring more than two metres in diameter using the semi-submersible crane vessel Saipem 7000.
Because the platform is designed to be fully automated and remotely operated, OMV Petrom Executive Board Member Cristian Hubati explained that a dedicated support vessel capable of accommodating up to 90 people is being built to handle maintenance.
Alongside these platform structures, teams completed a 160-kilometre pipeline connecting the facility to the shore and six of the 10 planned development wells.
Future work on the project will focus on drilling the remaining production wells, installing subsea infrastructure, and executing a testing programme.
Romgaz Deputy Chief Executive Officer Aristotel Jude stated that the platform is, "the project's offshore epicentre, where are installed all equipment and installations required to process the natural gas from reservoirs."
Romgaz Chief Executive Officer Răzvan Popescu confirmed that the final production infrastructure will include the wells across the Pelican South and Domino fields, three subsea production systems, and a gas measurement station at Tuzla.