Image source: BP

BP and partners today announced that the Final Investment Decision (FID) for Phase 1 of the innovative cross-border Greater Tortue Ahmeyim development has been agreed. The decision was made following agreement between the Mauritanian and Senegalese governments and partners BP, Kosmos Energy and National Oil Companies Petrosen and SMHPM.
 
“Achieving sanction for the ground-breaking Greater Tortue Ahmeyim development, and at such a fast pace, is testament to the dynamic partnership working together to bring this innovative project onstream and establish a new deepwater gas value chain,” said Bernard Looney, BP’s Upstream chief executive.

“It represents the beginning of a multi-phase project that is expected to deliver LNG revenues and gas to Africa and beyond for decades to come. We see this as the start of a new chapter for Africa’s energy story and are honoured to work alongside our partners and the governments of Mauritania and Senegal.

“I would like to thank President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and President Macky Sall for their leadership, without which this groundbreaking project would not have been possible. Additionally, I want to thank their respective Ministers, officials and national oil companies for their commitment to work together on this project of strategic importance. Finally, we are grateful to our partner Kosmos for discovering this world class resource and for their ongoing commitment and support.”

The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project will produce gas from an ultra-deepwater subsea system and mid-water floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which will process the gas, removing heavier hydrocarbon components. The gas will then be transferred to a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility at an innovative nearshore hub located on the Mauritania and Senegal maritime border. The FLNG facility is designed to provide circa 2.5 million tonnes of LNG per annum on average, with the total gas resources in the field estimated to be around 15 trillion cubic feet. The project, the first major gas project to reach FID in the basin, is planned to provide LNG for global export as well as making gas available for domestic use in both Mauritania and Senegal.

Emma Delaney, BP’s regional president for West Africa, added: “We’re committed to working with the two nations to make this development a success for both countries, the local communities who live near the project and the investor partners. We see a great deal of potential in the wider basin and Phase 1 of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project is the first step in unlocking that for the future.” 

The parties will continue to finalise agreements and obtain final regulatory and contract approvals, following which Phase 1 of the development will move into a detailed design and construction phase, with award of engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contracts.  Project execution activities are expected to commence in 1Q 2019. First gas for the project is expected in 2022. Following a competitive process involving all partners, BP Gas Marketing has been selected as the sole buyer for the investor partners’ LNG offtake for Tortue Phase 1. 

GREATER TORTUE EXPLORATION AND APPRAISAL

Tortue-1 (Mauritania)
Drilled in mid-2015, the Tortue-1 exploration well (later renamed Ahmeyim) encountered approximately 117 meters (373 feet) of net hydrocarbon pay in high-quality reservoir sands in the Cenomanian and Albian intervals. It was the industry’s second largest discovery of the year.

Guembeul-1 (Senegal)
Completed in 2016, the Guembeul-1 exploration well encountered 101 meters (331 feet) of net gas pay in two excellent quality reservoirs, including 56 meters (184 feet) in the Lower Cenomanian and 45 meters (148 feet) in the underlying Albian. Importantly, Guembeul-1 demonstrated reservoir continuity as well as static pressure communication with the Tortue-1 well in the Lower Cenomanian, suggesting a single, large gas accumulation. Guembeul-1 was drilled approximately five kilometers to the south of Tortue-1.

Ahmeyim-2 (Mauritania)
The Ahmeyim-2 well was drilled to a total depth of 5,200 meters. As anticipated, in the Lower Cenomanian and Albian, Ahmeyim-2 penetrated the seismic-inferred gas-water contacts, defining the field limit and extending the productive field area from approximately 50 square kilometers to 90 square kilometers. Furthermore, the well confirmed significant thickening of the gross reservoir sequences down-structure and importantly, within the Lower Cenomanian, static fluid pressure communication between the Tortue-1, Guembeul-1 and Ahmeyim-2 wells. The well encountered 78 meters (256 feet) of net gas pay in two excellent quality reservoirs, including 46 meters (151 feet) in the Lower Cenomanian and 32 meters (105 feet) in the underlying Albian. These results demonstrate field-wide reservoir continuity and indicate Tortue West is a large, simple gas field.