Norton Rose Fulbright advises Total on Ivory Coast LNG project

The project will have a capacity of 3 million tpy, and will involve the construction of a terminal with a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) in the Abidjan area, as well as a pipeline connecting it to power plants. It is expected to become operational by 2018, and will help Ivory Coast to become West Africa’s first regional LNG import hub.

The project will be developed and operated by a special purpose company, CI-GNL, with Total, as the majority shareholder (34%), Petro CI (11%), CI Energies (5%), SOCAR (26%), Shell (13%), Golar (6%) and Endeavour Energy (5%).

Christophe Asselineau, the energy and projects corporate partner who led the Norton Rose Fulbright team, said: “We are delighted that Total retained us to assist them on this project. Because of the pressing energy needs identified by the Government of Ivory Coast the timetable was one of the most challenging we had ever encountered on such a project. The fact that it was possible to finalise a multipartite agreement on such a complex project in such a short time span is yet another indication of the major changes which have occurred in the African business environment in recent years.”

Asselineau was assisted by senior associate, Marie Guis. Marta Giner Asins, partner, and Arnaud Sanz, senior associate, meanwhile, were responsible for the competition aspects of the project.

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/regasification/29112016/norton-rose-fulbright-advises-total-on-ivory-coast-lng-project/