UK-based energy giant and LNG player BP has ramped up natural gas resource potential at the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim field offshore Mauritania and Senegal.
Kosmos Energy, BP’s partner in the field, said on Monday that the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim-1 well (GTA-1) drilled on the eastern anticline encountered approximately 30 meters of net gas pay in the high-quality Albian reservoir.
The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG project is on track to deliver first gas in the first half of 2022, and the well – designed as a future producer – will be used to further optimize the development drilling plans for the BP-operated project.
Andrew Inglis , Kosmos Energy chairman and CEO, said: “ The GTA-1 well confirms our expectation that the gas resource at Greater Tortue Ahmeyim will continue to grow over time and could lead to further expansion of this world-scale 10 mtpa LNG project.
“ In addition, Kosmos’ process to sell down its interest to 10 percent has received considerable interest from the industry, with initial bids expected over the summer, and transaction conclusion anticipated by year-end. ”
Located offshore Senegal, the GTA-1 well was drilled in approximately 2,500 meters of water, some ten kilometers inboard of the Guembeul-1A and Tortue-1 wells, to a total depth of 4,884 meters.
The Ensco DS-12 rig, working on behalf of the operator BP, will now drill the Yakaar-2 appraisal well in Senegal, which is expected to spud in the coming weeks, before drilling the Orca-1 exploration well in Mauritania, set to be spud late in the third quarter.
Remaining partners in the cross-border Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project include SMPHM and Petrosen.
To remind, BP reached the final investment decision on the Greater Tortue project in December of last year.
Recently, KBR was awarded a pre-FEED services contract for phases 2 and 3 of BP’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project while FLNG topside solutions provider Black & Veatch received a full notice to begin work on the Golar’s Gimi FLNG , set to be used on the project.