ExxonMobil and Abu Dhabi
ExxonMobil and Abu Dhabi ExxonMobil and Abu Dhabi
23 Story by Richard Cunningham Photography by Jerry Jones Old friend, new lease ExxonMobil’s Johnny Saenz (left) and Clay Powell unwind after a day’s work at the King Ranch Gas Plant in South Texas. The plant, shown at rear, processes about 600 million cubic feet of natural gas a day.
ExxonMobil and the historic King Ranch have agreed to continue an oil and gas agreement that’s been in effect since 1933. The extension clears the way for new wells, creative technology and the continued stewardship of this legendary land. TEXAS Founded in 1853, the King Ranch is nearly the size of Rhode Island and consists of four separate parcels called divisions, encompassing some 825,000 acres. Kingsville Corpus Christi Gulf of Mexico King Ranch property Even before the sun came up, we could tell that the King Ranch was not the sort of place city folks often see. Six white-tailed deer barely noted our arrival at the gas plant office, and from the scrub brush 300 yards away, coyotes were yelping an end to their nighttime hunt. On the way to a nearby lake, cattle warming themselves on the asphalt road blocked our way. As we waited for them to move, at least a dozen peccaries – dark, bristling pig-like creatures often called javelinas – wandered from the brush to check us out. “This is generally considered to be much like open range,” says Johnny Saenz, operations superintendent for the South Texas area. “Out here, that means cattle, deer, javelinas, wild turkeys and quite a few other kinds of animals can wander across your path at any time. As operators, we are responsible not only for our wells and facilities, but also for protecting the land and the wildlife that live on it.” The King Ranch, established in 1853, includes nearly 1,300 square miles of coastal prairie, and it used to be more. The spread is still one of the largest ranches in the world. “Because of its size and the way the land is managed,” Saenz adds, “the King Ranch has become an important wild- life habitat. Its staff works closely with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to manage these resources.” Humble roots in South Texas Humble Oil & Refining Company, ExxonMobil’s predecessor, leased land on the King Ranch and drilled several dry holes there as early as 1919. That lease expired in 1926, but a new agreement for more than 1 million acres was signed in 1933. The first well was completed in 1939, and the big push began in 1945 with the discovery of the Borregos field. When the oil played out, natural gas became the primary resource. The King Ranch Gas Plant, commissioned in 1959, once handled as much as 1.75 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day and produced 80,000 barrels of natural-gas liquids, all from company-owned wells in South Texas. The plant still processes some 600 million cubic feet a day for ExxonMobil and other gas producers in the area. As a young engineer, Pat Ketcham helped with the design and construction of the gas plant and later became district manager of the Kingsville District during its boom days of oil and gas production. “At one time we were operating around 10 drilling rigs a day in South Texas, which required a rig move about every three 24
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23 Story by Richard Cunningham Photography by Jerry Jones<br />
Old friend,<br />
new lease<br />
<strong>ExxonMobil</strong>’s Johnny Saenz (left) <strong>and</strong> Clay<br />
Powell unwind after a day’s work at the King<br />
Ranch Gas Plant in South Texas. The plant,<br />
shown at rear, processes about 600 million<br />
cubic feet of natural gas a day.
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