Partners sanction Greater Tortue Ahmeyim offshore Mauritania, Senegal
BP and its partners have taken the final investment decision (FID) for Phase 1 of the cross-border Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG development.
The decision was made following agreement between the Mauritanian and Senegalese governments and partners BP, Kosmos Energy, Petrosen, and SMHPM.
The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project will produce gas from an ultra-deep-water subsea system and mid-water FPSO vessel, which will process the gas, removing heavier hydrocarbon components.
The gas will then be transferred to a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility at a nearshore hub located on the Mauritania and Senegal maritime border. The FLNG facility is designed to provide circa 2.5 million tonnes of LNG per annum on average, with the total gas resources in the field estimated to be around 15 tcf.
The project, the first major gas project to reach FID in the basin, is planned to provide LNG for global export as well as making gas available for domestic use in both Mauritania and Senegal.
Bernard Looney, BP’s Upstream chief executive, said: “Achieving sanction for the ground-breaking Greater Tortue Ahmeyim development, and at such a fast pace, is testament to the dynamic partnership working together to bring this innovative project onstream and establish a new deep-water gas value chain.
“It represents the beginning of a multi-phase project which is expected to deliver LNG revenues and gas to Africa and beyond for decades to come. We see this as the start of a new chapter for Africa’s energy story and are honoured to work alongside our partners and the governments of Mauritania and Senegal.”
The parties will continue to finalize agreements and obtain final regulatory and contract approvals, following which Phase 1 of the development will move into a detailed design and construction phase, with award of engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contracts.
Project execution activities are expected to start in the first quarter 2019. First gas for the project is expected in 2022.
Following a competitive process involving all partners, BP Gas Marketing has been selected as the sole buyer for the investor partners’ LNG offtake for Tortue Phase 1.
Source: Offshore Magazine