Aug. 14 (UPI) -- British energy company BP said it expected a ramp up in natural gas production from its second project to come online this year off the coast of Trinidad.
Gas production started at the Juniper development about 50 miles off the coast of Trinidad. It's the second this year there and the first of its $2 billion overhaul.
"It is the largest new project brought into production in Trinidad for several years and the second major project we have started here this year," Bernard Looney, the chief executive for exploration and production at BP, said in a statement. "Together they represent a significant portion of the new production capacity we expect to bring online in 2017."
Trinidad and Tobago is the largest oil and natural gas producer in the region and was among the largest exporters of liquefied natural gas. Scottish energy company Wood Group got an early start on expanding the regional LNG capacity in a multi-million dollar deal with Atlantic LNG Co., the largest contributor to Trinidad and Tobago's export market.
BP said operations at the Juniper facility would lead to gains in production capacity. The company operates 14 platforms offshore and two onshore processing facilities in Trinidad.
The company joined its industry peers recently in reporting a strong early 2017 recovery, after struggling through a 2016 market that saw crude oil prices drop below $30 per barrel.
