Mauritania-Senegal LNG Project Set to Start Exports This Quarter

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Mauritania-Senegal LNG Project Set to Start Exports This Quarter

A BP PLC-operated liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Western Africa is expected to dispatch its first cargo by March, co-developer Kosmos Energy Ltd. said Monday. On January 2 BP said gas had started flowing from wells in the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) field on the maritime border of Mauritania and Senegal to the GTA […]

A BP PLC-operated liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Western Africa is expected to dispatch its first cargo by March, co-developer Kosmos Energy Ltd. said Monday.

On January 2 BP said gas had started flowing from wells in the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) field on the maritime border of Mauritania and Senegal to the GTA floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel as part of the commissioning process. Located about 40 kilometers (24.85 miles) offshore, the FPSO removes water, condensate and impurities from the gas then sends it via pipeline to a floating liquefaction vessel situated 10 kilometers offshore.

“Gas has now been delivered to the floating LNG vessel and liquefaction has commenced”, Kosmos said in a press release.

“In addition, bp has given notice to the offtaker (bp gas marketing ltd.) for an LNG carrier to arrive later this quarter to export the first LNG cargo”, Dallas, Texas-based Kosmos said.

Kosmos chair and chief executive Andrew G. Inglis said, “We are looking forward to the accelerated ramp-up of LNG production and the first LNG cargo lifting during the first quarter”.

Phase 1 is designed to produce around 2.3 million metric tons a year of LNG upon full commissioning.

The start-up “marks an important milestone towards realizing the potential of Mauritania’s and Senegal’s gas resources, with the possibility for the countries to become an important LNG production hub”, BP said in an online statement January 2.

GTA LNG had been targeted to start production 2022 according to BP’s announcement of the final investment decision December 21, 2018. However the project faced delays.

Kosmos said in its fourth quarter 2023 financial report the subsea contractor had been replaced.

BP holds a 56 percent stake in GTA. Kosmos owns 27 percent, Senegal’s national oil and gas company Petrosen has 10 percent and Mauritanian counterpart SMH holds the remaining seven percent.

“GTA is just one part of the significant acreage held by Kosmos and its partners offshore Mauritania and Senegal thought to hold between 50-100 trillion cubic feet of gas resource potential”, Kosmos says on its website. “GTA alone is estimated to contain more than 15 trillion cubic feet of potentially recoverable gas resources”.

The FLNG vessel, called Gimi, is owned and operated by Bermuda-based Golar LNG Ltd. Gimi, built 1976 and converted 2023 with an output capacity of 2.45 million metric tons per annum, has been chartered to BP for 20 years, according to Golar.

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