KBR takes on more work at Shell’s giant gas project in Trinidad and Tobago

U.S. science, technology, and engineering player KBR has won an engineering and procurement services contract for upgrade work related to a gas development project, which is envisioned to boost the liquified natural gas (LNG) arsenal in Trinidad and Tobago.

KBR will work on the Beachfield Manatee upgrade, which represents the onshore portion of the Manatee gas field project in the East Coast Marine Area (ECMA) of Trinidad and Tobago, 100% operated by Shell Trinidad and Tobago, a subsidiary of the UK-headquartered energy giant Shell.

The latest contract award follows recently completed contracts thanks to which the U.S. player delivered the front-end engineering design as an integrated member of Shell’s development team across the whole Manatee project, which is said to support global energy security and natural gas production, providing gas for the country’s Atlantic LNG facility. 

Jay Ibrahim, KBR’s President of Sustainable Technology Solutions, commented: “We are thrilled to be a key contributor to Shell’s Manatee project and continue our substantial presence in the LNG market. This win highlights KBR’s strong energy security capabilities that support our clients’ goals of providing reliable and accessible natural resources that meet the world’s long-term energy needs and support energy transition.” 

Shell took a final investment decision (FID) for the Manatee undeveloped gas field in July 2024 based on a development plan, according to which the recovered hydrocarbons from Manatee would be delivered by drilling eight development wells from a normally unmanned offshore platform. Afterward, gas and condensate would be delivered to shore via a new gas pipeline.

The hydrocarbons would then be processed at the existing Beachfield facility and delivered for sale. The field is part of the giant Loran-Manatee field, discovered in 1983, which straddles Trinidad and Tobago’s maritime boundary with Venezuela. The combined field has an estimated resource of 10.04 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas, of which 2.712 tcf is within the Manatee portion.

The ECMA is already home to Shell’s largest gas-producing fields in the country, covering Dolphin, Starfish, Bounty, and Endeavour. The Manatee gas field is expected to provide backfill for Trinidad’s Atlantic LNG facility. Manatee, slated to start production in 2027, is anticipated to reach peak production of approximately 104,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d). 

This contract comes less than a month after KBR secured a deal as part of the KTJV joint venture with France’s Technip Energies to repurpose an LNG import and regasification terminal on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast into what has been envisioned to become one of the largest LNG export facilities in the United States.