A pioneering development, Girassol was one of the world’s largest deep offshore oil fields during its development. Its size and the water depth made it one of the boldest, most ambitious projects ever undertaken by Total.

A First in the Gulf of Guinea
 
The Girassol field lies 150 kilometers offshore Angola in 1,400 meters of water. Development began in 1998 and was completed on schedule—three-and-a-half years from the investment decision to startup in December 2001—and on budget, at $2.8 billion. Total is the operator with a 40% interest, alongside co-venturers ExxonMobil, BP, Statoil and Norsk Hydro.
 
Bringing Girassol on stream was the first stage in producing Block 17 resources. A number of other fields have been developed, ensuring stable output over the coming decade.
 
Because we managed this one-of-a-kind project, dedicated research programs were deployed to quickly develop cost-effective solutions to resolve problems related to automating subsea production systems at very great depths.
 
Another technological challenge that we successfully met was getting effluent from so far below the seabed—through as much water as rock and other geological formations—up to the 250,000-barrel-per-day floating production storage offloading (FPSO) vessel for processing and storage. The slender, 1,250-meter-tall risers developed for the project were a major breakthrough, combining insulation and floatability.

Multicultural Teams

Up to 1,500 people of 15 different nationalities worked on the floating construction site. During normal production, around 140 Total employees work on the FPSO.
 
Training was offered in the field and in the classroom. Skills transfer, which makes a critical contribution to relations with partner countries, was a priority for Total on Girassol, as elsewhere.

The construction phase of the project created hundreds of jobs for members of local communities, and today two-thirds of local employees are Angolan nationals.

Local Development
 
The co-venturers also encouraged local manufacturing of much of the equipment required for the Girassol project. Total provided Angolan managers and technicians with classroom and practical training, while offering career opportunities to local personnel.
What’s more, Girassol boosted Angola’s crude oil production significantly, enabling the country’s oil industry to undertake other projects.
 
We believe that sustainable development also entails strengthening the economies of host countries. Thus, at the two onshore yards in Lobito and Soyo, local contractors actively participated in preparation, construction and assembly work, including logistics and transportation. Preference was given to local contractors whenever they were competitive, thereby creating hundreds of jobs for members of neighboring communities.