BP to expand LNG project off Mauritania and Senegal

Feb. 27 (UPI) -- British energy company BP said Monday it backed a development concept for a second phase of a giant liquefied natural gas project off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal.

BP and its consortium partners are considering a gravity-based structure (GBS) for the second phase of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project that will increase the capacity to the overall facility.

"GBS LNG developments have a static connection to the seabed with the structure providing LNG storage and a foundation for liquefication facilities," the company explained.

A floating production, storage and offloading vessel left a Chinese shipyard in late January for its 12,000-nautical-mile journey to the coast of Mauritania and Senegal for BP's project.

The eight production and processing components onboard the FPSO can process around 500 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day. That compares with the tens of billions of cubic meters of gas coming from U.S. shale basins each day, though BP sees it as a boon for West Africa.

Already under development, the first phase of operations will send offshore gas to a floating production facility for processing and refinement before sending it back to other facilities that can turn products into liquid form.

LNG is emerging as a vital component of the pursuit of reliable supplies against a backdrop of geopolitical risk emanating from the war in Ukraine. Gas-rich energy company Shell said in a recent report that the European and British economies took in 60% more LNG than they did in 2021, which allowed the region to tolerate the shortage of piped gas from Russia.

Gordon Birrell, BP's executive vice president for operations and production, said West Africa could emerge as the next global LNG center.

"We aim to build on our strong collaboration with our partners, and the governments of Mauritania and Senegal, to further develop a long-term, successful energy hub in West Africa," he said.

BP made its final investment decision on the Greater Tortue Ahmeyin project in 2018.