Name of the Project
Fortuna floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project – Block R.
Location
Block R, in Equatorial Guinea, is located in the south-east of the Niger Delta complex close to numerous significant oil and gas discoveries in the Nigerian sector.
Client
Ophir (33.8%) and OneLNG, which is a joint venture (JV) between Golar LNG and Schlumberger (66.2%).
Project Description
The upstream development will comprise 17 development wells over four phases.
In the first phase, until first gas in 2019, four wells will be drilled. These wells will be drilled prior to first gas production, with a minimum of two wells required to achieve the 2.2-million to 2.5-million-metric-tonne-a-year plateau. These production wells in the Fortuna and Viscata reservoirs will be simple well competitions and tie-backs.
The gas will be produced from these wells using gathering flowlines, manifolds and risers to an external turret of the FLNG facility.
In Phase 2, five wells will be drilled to elevate the plateau to 4.4-million metric tonnes a year and will use a second FLNG vessel.
Phase 3 requires a further three wells and Phase 4 five wells.
An existing vessel, the Gandria LNG tanker, will be converted into an FLNG vessel – this will be owned and operated through the JV.
An FLNG development was selected because the gas discovered in Block R is about 99% methane, with no contaminants or heavier hydrocarbons and, therefore, very little topside processing is required.
In addition, the benign metocean conditions and proximity to European LNG markets make the FLNG concept the appropriate development option.
Potential Job Creation
Not stated.
Value
The cost of the project is estimated at $2-billion.
Duration
Work on the project will start when the final investment decision is received, which is expected before the end of 2017.
Delivery of first gas is expected in 2020.
Latest Developments
Ophir has awarded the upstream construction contract for the project to Subsea Integration Alliance, which is a partnership between OneSubsea, a Schlumberger company, and Subsea 7.
The contract is structured as an engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) contract for the subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines, as well as the subsea production systems scope of work.
The scope of the EPCIC is to deliver 440-million standard cubic feet a day of gas through infrastructure comprising three wells into the Fortuna field and one into the underlying Viscata field, located at an average water depth of 1 790 m.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
Subsea Integration Alliance (EPCIC).
On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.
Contact Details for Project Information
Ophir, tel +44 20 7811 2400.
Golar LNG head of investor relations Stuart Buchanan, tel +44 207 063 7900.
Schlumberger director of corporate communication Joao Felix, tel +1 713 375 3494 or email communication@slb.com.