BP gives Golar Limited Notice to Proceed with Tortue FLNG

British oil and gas major BP has given Golar LNG a Limited Notice to Proceed related to the provision of a Floating Liquefaction Vessel (” FLNG”) for its Greater Tortue / Ahmeyim field development.

The Tortue/Ahmeyim field development is located in the C-8 block off the shore of Mauritania and the Saint-Louis Profond block offshore Senegal and BP is looking at an FLNG option to develop those resources.

BP and Golar in April 2018 signed a preliminary agreement for an FLNG charter deal. In an update on Monday, December 17 Golar said the Limited Notice to Proceed was for an FLNG vessel for Phase 1 of the Greater Tortue / Ahmeyim Project.

“The vessel conversion would take place at Keppel Shipyard Ltd (“Keppel”) building on Keppel’s delivery of the FLNG Hilli Episeyo, utilizing Black and Veatch Corporation’s PRICO technology. Discussions regarding a minority investment in the vessel are also being progressed,” Golar said.

Offshore Energy Today has reached out to Golar LNG, seeking info on what the work scope under the Limited Notice to Proceed would entail. We will update the article if we get a response.

Worth noting, FLNG Hilli Episeyo, moored offshore Kribi, Cameroon was is the world’s first converted Floating Liquefaction (FLNG) vessel. It is also Africa’s first and currently only operational FLNG unit.

Converted from the 1975-built Moss LNG carrier with a storage capacity of 125,000 m3, and designed for a liquefaction capacity of about 2.4 million tonnes of LNG per annum, it produced its first LNG from Sanaga field in March 2018, and sent its first cargo in May.

Tortue development

The Tortue discovery, where the Golar FLNG is expected to be deployed, was made by Kosmos Energy, which farmed down its investment to BP in December 2016. BP now has the largest interest (~60%) among the four partners in the project and is the operator.

The preliminary agreement signed in April stipulated the contract award would be contingent on Project FID. The preliminary agreement also included an option, but not an obligation, for BP on a second FLNG vessel.

As previously reported, BP and Kosmos expect to make the FID for the Tortue/Ahmeyin development by the end of the year.

BP has already awarded a contract for engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) for SURF and SPS scope of work to McDermott and Baker Hughes, a GE company.

The initial subsea infrastructure would connect the first four wells consolidated through production pipelines leading to a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel. From here liquids would be removed and the export gas is transported via a pipeline to the floating liquid natural gas (FLNG) hub terminal where the gas would be liquefied.

In addition, TechnipFMC was earlier this week awarded a FEED contract for the FPSO unit for the Tortue/Ahmeyim field development. Under the deal, TechnipFMC will work on defining the technology and equipment scope for the project.

Offshore Energy Today Staff