BP announces FID for Phase 1 of Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG development

According to the statement, the decision was made following agreement between the Mauritanian and Senegalese governments, as well as partners BP, Kosmos Energy and national oil companies Petrosen and SMHPM.

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 deepwater gas value chain.

“It represents the beginning of a multi-phase project that 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.

“I would like to thank President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and President Macky Sall for their leadership, without which this groundbreaking project would not have been possible. Additionally, I want to thank their respective Ministers, officials and national oil companies for their commitment to work together on this project of strategic importance. Finally, we are grateful to our partner Kosmos for discovering this world class resource and for their ongoing commitment and support.”

In the statement, BP claims that the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project will produce gas from an ultra-deepwater subsea system and mid-water floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. This vessel will process the gas, removing heavier hydrocarbon components. Then, the gas will be transferred to a floating LNG (FLNG) facility at a nearshore hub located on the maritime border between Senegal and Mauritania. This facility has been designed to produce approximately 2.5 million tpy of LNG, with the total gas resources in the field estimated to be approximately 15 trillion ft³. The project is reportedly the first in the basin to reach FID, and is planned to provide LNG for both global export and domestic use.

Emma Delaney, BP’s regional president for West Africa, added: “We’re committed to working with the two nations to make this development a success for both countries, the local communities who live near the project and the investor partners. We see a great deal of potential in the wider basin and Phase 1 of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project is the first step in unlocking that for the future.”

BP claims that all parties will continue to finalise agreements and obtain final regulatory and contract approvals. Following this, Phase 1 of the development will move into the detailed design and construction phase, with award of engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contracts. Project execution activities are expected to begin in 1Q19, with first gas scheduled for 2022. Following a competitive process involving all partners, BP Gas Marketing has been chosen as the sole buyer for the investor partners’ LNG offtake for Tortue Phase 1.

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/21122018/bp-announces-fid-for-phase-1-of-greater-tortue-ahmeyim-lng-development/