A decisive step before the entry into production of the Grand Tortue mega-gas field off the coast of Senegal and Mauritania, the floating production, storage and unloading unit (called FPSO) has arrived on site, after many delays and a long journey. Which should finally allow the first extraction of gas from the Senegalese-Mauritanian seabed by the end of the year.
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The floating unit of the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim project has finally reached its final destination, 40 km from the Senegalese-Mauritanian coasts. This real factory on the water, whose construction began in 2019 in Chinese shipyards, had suffered delays due to Covid-19. Having left the Chinese coast in January 2023, it had to be completed in Singapore, then made technical stops in Mauritius and finally in the Canaries.
Supposed to be less expensive than a terrestrial installation, this FPSO unit will separate the gas other elements such as water and condensates extracted from the deep water deposit, 80 km away. The Senegalese-Mauritanian gas will then be transported to the liquefaction platform, closer to the coast.
The equipment for the project led by BP is now more than 90% complete, which leads the Senegal oil company to say that production, initially estimated at 2.3 million tonnes per year, could begin at third quarter of this year. A two-year delay which caused additional costs, on which the governments of Dakar and Nouakchott have launched an audit.
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