BP and its partners have agreed to further advance the development concept of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the deep waters of the maritime border between Mauritania and Senegal.
According to BP, the gravity-based structure (GBS) will be evaluated as the basis for the Phase 2 (GTA2) expansion project. The expansion would add between 2.5 and 3 million tons of LNG per year. BP and its partners, Petrosen, Société Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures (SMH) and Kosmos Energy, have decided to take this concept to the next phase of evaluation.
The GBS LNG developments have a static connection to the seabed with the structure providing LNG storage and a base for liquefaction facilities, BP said in its statement.
The conceptual design will also include new wells and subsea equipment, integrating and extending GTA’s existing infrastructure. The partnership will consider powering LNG liquefaction with electricity to help reduce operational emissions. BP and its partners are now working with contractors to advance the concept to the pre-FEED stage, the statement said.
“We aim to build on our strong collaboration with our partners and the governments of Mauritania and Senegal, to further develop a successful long-term energy hub in West Africa. GTA continues to support our strategy to develop the most resilient hydrocarbons to help provide energy security today,” said Gordon Birrell, BP’s executive vice-president of operations and production.
GTA is located 74.5 miles offshore in a water depth of 9350 feet, one of the deepest underwater developments in Africa. Phase 1, currently under development, will export gas to an FPSO approximately 25 miles offshore where the gas will be processed and liquids separated, before exporting gas to floating LNG facilities 6.2 miles offshore coast It is expected to produce around 2.3 million tonnes of LNG per year when operations begin.
BP and the governments of Senegal and Mauritania have extensive and long-standing cooperation that includes the GTA project and other potential energy developments. In October 2022, BP reported that it had signed an exploration and production sharing contract for the BirAllah gas resource in Mauritania. In addition, BP continues to work with its partners on the development of a major gas-to-power project in Senegal, Yakaar Teranga, according to the company’s statement.
BP recalled that it recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Mauritania to deliver a program that explores the potential for large-scale production of green hydrogen in the country.
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