Wood Group to Provide Commissioning Services for Chevron's Big Foot Deepwater Production Facility

HOUSTON, July 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Wood Group, the international energy services company, has been granted a multi-million dollar, three-year contract by Chevron U.S.A. Inc. to commission the Big Foot extended tension leg platform (E-TLP) in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Work will be performed by DSI, Wood Group PSN's commissioning services business.

DSI's scope of work covers the full commissioning process, from development of procedures, through inspection and testing of every operational component at the South Texas fabrication yards and offshore, to the final hand-over of systems to Chevron.

Big Foot is the eighth TLP/ETLP DSI has commissioned worldwide and is the fifth facility commissioned for Chevron, including the Jack & St. Malo semi-submersible platform in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, which DSI is currently commissioning.

"Commissioning is critical to the safe start-up of a production facility, proving the integrity and reliability of all safety and operating systems," stated Trey Lambert, president of DSI. "Chevron can rely on DSI to provide safe, consistent and quality commissioning services across its projects."

Notes to Editors

Wood Group is an international energy services company with $5.5bn sales, employing more than 35,000 people worldwide and operating in 50 countries. The Group has three businesses - Engineering, Wood Group PSN and Gas Turbine Services - providing a range of engineering, production support, maintenance management and industrial gas turbine overhaul and repair services to the oil & gas, and power generation industries worldwide. www.woodgroup.com

Wood Group PSN is a global provider of pre-operations, hook up & commissioning, operations & maintenance, engineering, construction, project management, training and decommissioning services to the energy industry. Employing over 23,000 people in more than 35 countries, Wood Group PSN offers high integrity, brownfield services that support customers to optimise performance, maintain production, reduce operating costs and provide integrity assurance www.woodgroup-psn.com

Deepwater Specialists Inc. (DSI) is one of the world's leading providers of facilities commissioning services to the international oil and gas industry. DSI, which operates within Wood Group PSN, provides function checks and proves the integrity of all systems after construction is completed and prior to the introduction of hydrocarbons.  DSI has provided commissioning on more than 30 deepwater and offshore facilities since being founded in 1999, while maintaining one of the industry's most outstanding safety records. www.deepwaterdsi.com

Big Foot will be located in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, approximately 225 miles (360 km) south of New Orleans, Louisiana, in water depths of 5,200 feet (1,600 m). The development will utilize a dry tree extended tension leg platform and will have production capacity of 75,000 barrels of oil and 25 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. First oil is anticipated in 2014.

SOURCE Wood Group