LLOG Exploration Offshore has brought the Salamanca Floating Production Unit (FPU) online in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico, achieving first oil from the Leon field in Keathley Canyon Block 689. The facility, located in 6,400 ft of water, marks the first reuse of a former Gulf production unit repurposed for new development.
Initial output began from a previously drilled Leon well, with additional production expected from a second Leon well and the first Castile field well in late 2025. A third Leon well and another Castile well are planned for 2026. LLOG operates the Salamanca FPU, Leon and Castile discoveries, with Repsol and O.G. Oil & Gas as non-operating partners.
The refurbished Salamanca unit has capacity for 60,000 bopd and 40 MMcfd. By modifying an existing production facility rather than constructing new infrastructure, LLOG cut time to market and reduced emissions intensity by nearly 90% compared with a newbuild. Much of the project’s major construction work was completed in Texas and Louisiana yards.
LLOG became operator of the Leon and Castile fields in 2019 through a deal with Repsol. O.G. Oil & Gas joined the partnership in 2024. Combined, the developments are expected to deliver hundreds of millions of barrels of recoverable resources and add long-term output to the Gulf of Mexico portfolio.
