BP’s biggest project continues with gas production business as usual after leak

UK-headquartered energy giant BP has participated in a helicopter flight with a team of Mauritanian and Senegalese technicians to confirm there is no residue on the surface of the sea, in the wake of a gas leak at its giant gas development off the coasts of Mauritania and Senegal, which is said to be the biggest project in its portfolio and one of the deepest, most complex gas developments in Africa.  

As the operator of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) Phase 1 liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, BP reported a gas leak on February 19, 2025, to the Mauritanian and Senegalese authorities. The leak was located at the A02 well, 120 km off the coast, which had not yet come into operation.

Following the notification, the Mauritanian authorities ordered the immediate implementation of the necessary measures to control the leak and limit its impacts, demanding regular updates from the operator on the evolution of the situation.

While providing an update on the gas leak at the GTA field, Mauritania’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum highlighted on March 7 that BP offered several technical solutions based on the most efficient options, including the delivery of specialized equipment from abroad.

As a reinforced technical team was mobilized to carry out repair operations, an Antonov cargo plane landed in Nouakchott on February 26, carrying the equipment necessary for the intervention. Mauritania’s officials claim technical teams then proceeded to the assembly and installation of the equipment at the port of Nouakchott.

The process, completed on March 7, enabled the departure of a specialized vessel transporting the technical team and equipment to the GTA field. A team of Mauritanian and Senegalese technicians, accompanied by representatives of BP, conducted a helicopter flight over the area on March 6, without observing any residues on the surface of the sea.

Moreover, the national navies are said to be ensuring a continuous presence in the area. As a result, gas production operations at the GTA field, which achieved its first liquified natural gas (LNG) just nine days before the leak, are proceeding normally.

The LNG production came less than a month after Golar LNG’s floating LNG (FLNG) Gimi received feed gas from the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) GTA situated approximately 40 kilometers offshore.

Mauritania’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum underlined: “The Mauritanian and Senegalese authorities, in close coordination with BP, are rigorously monitoring the situation and continuously assessing the impact of the leak. Information is exchanged daily between the technical teams of the two countries and the operator.

“Surveillance of the area is maintained at all times thanks to a system combining helicopter overflights, drone and satellite observations, as well as the use of a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV).”

While BP is the operator with a 56% interest, Kosmos Energy (27%), Petrosen (10%), and Société Mauritanienne Des Hydrocarbures (SMH) (7%), are the firm’s partners in the GTA project.

BP is busy with many hydrocarbon projects around the globe, including the ones in Egypt, where the firm recently confirmed the completion of drilling operations at the El Fayoum-5 gas discovery in the North Alexandria offshore concession, which marked the final well in its four-slot drilling campaign in the West Nile Delta (WND).