Deep Panuke Project Description - Encana

2.3 Construction and Installation2.3.1 MOPU FacilitiesThe MOPU will be fabricated onshore, towed to the field, and jacked up on location. The MOPU willbe situated on specifically designed footings, such as spud cans or equivalent, similar to typical drillingjack-up rig footings. The topsides facilities will be fabricated separately and installed on the MOPU atan atshore location. The Project has no requirement for an offshore heavy lift.The hull portion of the MOPU is expected to utilize the basic design premise of an existing mobileoffshore drilling unit (MODU) jackup design with the minimum number of changes required to acceptthe topsides production facilities. Some modifications are expected for additional safety and controlsystems, which must be integrated platform wide and other specific modifications, includingappurtenances, risers, and umbilicals, which interface with the sea and seabed below. However, theintent will also be to minimize the deviations to the standard MODU design so that re-conversion of theunit back to a drilling unit in future can be readily accommodated if desired. The MOPU hull will bebased upon a typical jack-up drilling rig fabrication method; however, the associated drilling equipmentwill not be installed.The hull designs must be structurally capable of withstanding the environmental design conditions foroffshore Nova Scotia on a year round basis; these MODUs are generally referred to a “harshenvironment jack-up rigs”.The production topsides will house all the production equipment and will be located on the hull in theareas where the drilling package is normally located. The topsides will be constructed in modularformat. The expected weight of the production facilities is 6,000 tonnes and a single module is preferredfrom a construction and commissioning viewpoint. However, multiple modules can also be utilizedshould this be a better fit for the selected hull. Final arrangement will be determined during detaileddesign.The modules will be designed to be lifted or skidded onto the hull structure and will be supported by themain girders within the hull.The accommodations unit(s) will be designed to be constructed within Nova Scotia and therefore mayhave a design and build plan which will allow for transportation to the integration site and integration ofthe unit with the remainder of the MOPU, if required. Special considerations will include design ofinterface systems for power and utilities as well as load out and lifting considerations. Theaccommodations unit will be designed for a minimum of 68 persons on board (POB) and steady statePOB of approximately 30 persons; however, it could also be larger if the MOPU contractor chooses toDeep Panuke Volume 4 (Environmental Assessment Report)• November 2006 2-14