KBR bags Tortue pre-FEED

KBR has confirmed that the company has been awarded the pre-front end engineering design (FEED) and project support services contracts for the development of the Tortue / Ahmeyim field, offshore Mauritania and Senegal.

OE reported in the July 2017 edition that KBR was awarded the pre-FEED work, with sources saying the company is also preparing to carry out FEED studies.

Map of the Greater Tortue area, from Kosmos.

Under KBR's global services agreement with BP, KBR has won these new contracts to provide pre-FEED and project support covering design of the subsea, pre-treatment floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility, inshore hub/terminal, and interfaces for floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) for the Tortue Project.

This new work will build on the earlier concept phase work for the development of the field already completed by KBR's subsidiary Granherne for BP's partner, Kosmos.

KBR's pre-FEED work is expected to be performed over the next six months, with KBR supporting BP in the optimize stage of the Tortue field development.   The work will be executed from KBR's London office which has played a key role in multiple recent BP projects including the Glen Lyon FPSO and Shah Deniz Phase II projects.

"KBR is pleased to offer our world-class engineering design expertise to continue to support this significant project from its early stages and to help BP and its partners develop an LNG hub for Mauritania and Senegal," says Jay Ibrahim, KBR president, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).  "This award confirms KBR's strategic commitment to and builds upon our ongoing relationship with BP for engineering services around the globe."

Revenue from this contract is undisclosed and will be booked into backlog for KBR's Engineering & Construction business segment in Q3 of 2017.

Kosmos Energy and BP are expected to reveal the final investment decision for Tortue next year, with first gas targeted in 2021. 

Andrew Scutter, EIC's upstream sector analyst, said in OE's July 2017 magazine edition that KBR was awarded the pre-FEED contract for the upstream aspects of the project.

"Sources suggest that the company is preparing to carry out FEED studies," Scutter said last month.

Scutter said a development concept most likely be a near-shore, 2.5 MPTA FLNG vessel, with a pre-treatment platform and a condensate offload vessel.  

The Greater Tortue Complex that has a Pmean gross resource estimate of 25 Tcf of gas.

Due to the continued exploration success, Scutter said there has been increasing interest from companies to explore the region, including Erin Energy and Total.

"Significant challenges will need to be overcome to develop these fields as Senegal and Mauritania lack the infrastructure and capabilities required for these billion dollar projects," Scutter said. "Senegal and Mauritania are realistic about their capabilities, and are keen to utilize experienced foreign suppliers, so long as some form of local partnership is made. This provides opportunities for UK supply chain companies with extensive offshore experience to offer their services."

Kosmos and BP created their partnership in December 2016, to advance the development of the discovered gas resources offshore Mauritania and Senegal, with an aim to find more.  

In the JV deal, BP agreed to take a 62% stake in Kosmos Energy's gas Mauritanian exploration blocks plus a 32.49% effective working interest in the independent's Senegal exploration blocks - totaling some 33,000sq km. 

BP said it would invest nearly US$1 billion, mostly in the form of a multi-year exploration and development carry, to acquire the 62% interest and operatorship of offshore Blocks C-6, C-8, C-12 and C-13 in Mauritania and an effective 32.49% interest in the Saint-Louis Profond and Cayar Profond blocks in Senegal.

The duo is using Atwood Oceanics's Atwood Achiever drillship until 12 November 2018 for Senegal and Mauritania. 

Read more:

The last frontier

Kosmos to accelerate off West Africa

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