BSEE’s New CVA Requirements for Riser Life Extension

New standalone developments in current market conditions are challenging, so many operators are considering tiebacks to existing platforms which provides a lower risk and faster return on investment. Many deepwater Gulf of Mexico platforms are now reaching their 15 to 20th year of service and tying additional wells back to them with production lives of 10-20 years will require an extension of the platform and the existing risers beyond their original design life.

At this year’s Subsea Tieback Forum in San Antonio, BSEE introduced a plan outlining their requirements for granting permits for riser life extensions in the GoM. They have started to receive life extension requests for SCRs, flexibles and TTRs and are finding that those applications are not complete enough to demonstrate the feasibility of extending the life of the riser system. As a result, BSEE will be rolling out a new requirement for riser life extension CVA (certified verification agent) or independent verification. Here is a summary of what is proposed:

What future riser life extension requests will require

1. Combination of analyses and inspections

2. Forward-looking integrity management plan

3. Riser life extension CVA verification – THE NEW REQUIREMENT

What does this mean for operators?

The level of effort and time required for life extension approval should not be underestimated. BSEE has recommended that operators be proactive and set up 5 and 10 year riser life extension plans well in advance of the end of the current permit. They have also stated that the approval cycle from submittal of a life extension request with sufficient supporting CVA documentation is likely to be 12 weeks. We recommend preparing life extension requests 12 months in advance to allow time for documentation gathering, the 12 week BSEE review cycle, and clarifications, etc.

Early planning with plenty of time for CVA activities in combination with good, documented engineering due diligence will be key to receiving the BSEE’s endorsement. Working with a qualified CVA with prior experience is recommended to make sure all the boxes are checked and the process runs smoothly.

2H’s engineering team is currently working on a number of life extension projects including the life extension CVA of a major operator’s production riser system. 2H has completed CVA projects for over 25 different developments over the years.