Excelerate to Take Lead in Guinea FLNG Project

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Friday November 7, 2014

U.S.-based Excelerate Energy will take the lead on London-based Ophir Energy's floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project off the coast of Equatorial Guinea, Offshore Energy Today reports.

"I'm delighted to announce the appointment of the Excelerate consortium as our midstream partners for the Block R FLNG Project," said Nick Cooper, CEO, Ophir.

"The Excelerate consortium has deep sector expertise and a leading position in marine based LNG applications."

Excelerate will be lead contractor in a consortium which will see it work with American engineering company Black & Veatch and South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI).

The energy company is also working with the same two companies on the Port Lavaca FLNG project off the Texas Gulf Coast.  

Excelerate and SHI had previously been one of the teams bandied about against Malaysia's Bumi Armada, Japan's IHI Corporation and Singapore's Keppel Shipyard for the job, though Excelerate was reported to have come out ahead in August. 

At the time, the deal was estimated to be worth around $2 billion. 

The project will develop Ophir's gas reserves in the Block R natural gas field west of Bioko Island, which the company has an 80 percent operated interest in. 

The facility has the capacity of 2.4 million tonnes per annum and is scheduled to begin in 2018. 

A number of FLNG projects are currently planned around the world, including Exxon Mobil Corp. and BHP Billiton Ltd.'s facility off the coast of Australia, which will be the world's largest. 

Ship & Bunker News Team
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