BP Delays FLNG Project Offshore Mauritania, Senegal

BP has pushed back the start-up of its FLNG project offshore Mauritania and Senegal, the company said in its earnings report on Tuesday.

“Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) Phase 1 now expected to start-up during the first quarter of 2024,” bp said. Kosmos Energy is a non-operating partner on the project that bp says could transform Mauritania and Senegal into global LNG players within 30 years “creating prosperity and development at a local and national levels.”

The Tortue field, according to bp and Kosmos estimates, could contain 15 tcf of recoverable gas resource potential. GTA Phase 1 is the first step in establishing the basin as a world-class gas province and major LNG hub, bp says on its website.

GTA, spread across the C-8 block, was originally discovered back in 2015, with FID announced in December 2018.

Kosmos considers the project to be among the lowest-cost greenfield projects in the world, with the first phase delivering approximately 2.5 mmtpa of natural gas. It is also one of the deepest subsea developments in Africa.

Mauritania and Senegal have classified the project as a National Project of Strategic Importance due to the project's potential to secure domestic energy and energy revenues for the countries.

Phase 1 of the FLNG project includes an ultra-deepwater subsea system with four gas production wells, a mid-water FPSO vessel, and an FLNG facility.

The project was originally scheduled to achieve first gas in 2022, but it ran into multiple delays—including Covid-related delays­—that extended that date into 2023, and now into 2024. Some contractors working on the project have even alleged delayed payments for work completed.

Phase 2 of the project was announced in February of this year, and is expected to produce up to 3 mmtpa.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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