HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HWCG LLC, the deepwater well containment incident response consortium, announces a significant expansion of its capture and process capabilities, more than doubling the fluid flowback rate to 130,000 barrels of oil per day and increasing the gas handling capacity to 220 million cubic feet per day.

This expansion marks the first ready response plan with cap, flow, process and storage capabilities meeting or exceeding 100,000 bpd. HWCG previously offered a flowback capacity of 55,000 barrels of oil per day and a gas handling capacity of 120 MMCFD. The consortium voted to upgrade the equipment based on member need as the industry continues to explore new water depths and encounter higher well pressures and operating temperatures.

HWCG’s Managing Director, Dave Coatney, states: “The consortium actively evolves to meet members’ needs for an advanced deepwater well containment solution. HWCG attained this unprecedented capacity through the use of existing industry equipment technology and a modular approach to systems design. This achievement is a testament to the power of HWCG’s collaboration protocols that draw upon the expertise and technical resources of our 16 global offshore Oil & Gas members. The consortium works seamlessly alongside regulator contributors and over 35 service sector providers who support the offshore industry on an ongoing basis and who are aligned with HWCG’s success.”

HWCG is a consortium of 16 deepwater operators in the Gulf of Mexico that have committed to developing a comprehensive and rapid deepwater well containment response system in order to protect people, property, and the environment.

The group’s members contribute equipment resources and personnel through HWCG’s mutual aid program centered around common response protocols. The program creates a shared pool of knowledge from technical experts across every sector of the industry, which HWCG utilizes to continually drive advancements in subsea well containment.

In keeping pace with members’ needs and future regulatory thresholds, additional HWCG updates can be expected within the year. HWCG’s Deepwater Intervention Technical Committee, comprised of more than 60 industry experts, recently approved an additional initiative to upgrade the thermal threshold rating of the 15,000 psig capping stack. These improvements are part of HWCG’s active efforts to apply best available technology for an immediate and effective response in the event of a deepwater well containment incident.