The mantra "moreproduction sooner" drives a broad range of decisions made by managers in charge of implementing a deepwater development project like Dominion E&P's Devils Tower field in the Gulf of Mexico. Early revenue is important, but so is long-term performance. To the extent that early understanding of the reservoir allows, decisions made in the beginning months and years of a field's life must optimize the producing asset's lifecycle value. Actions taken during field development - placing wellbores in the best position in the reservoir, sizing facilities to meet current and future needs, and myriad other large and small decisions - are critical. What makes achieving these goals a special challenge is that some of the most important decisions must be based on the limited information gathered during the short period of prospect analysis, exploration and appraisal drilling. The understanding of the reservoir possible at that early stage is bound to evolve during the life of the field. In deep water, where cost and revenue potential are super-sized, the stakes are high.
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