US LNG player New Fortress Energy said it has signed a deal with the government of Mauritania which includes deploying its floating liquefaction technology offshore the African country.
NFE signed a memorandum of understanding with Mauritania to develop an energy hub, including natural gas, power, LNG and blue ammonia, utilizing existing offshore gas reserves off the coast of the country, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
Under the deal, NFE said it would deploy its “Fast LNG” liquefaction technology to produce LNG in the Atlantic coastal basin offshore Mauritania for local gas and power markets as well as international exports.
NFE will supply natural gas to both the existing 180 MW Somolec power plant and a new 120 MW combined cycle power plant that will be developed.
According to NFE, the memorandum is non-binding and actual terms of any future definitive agreement may differ from this deal.
Mauritania to become “top LNG exporter”
The company’s liquefaction design pairs the “latest advancements in modular, midsize liquefaction technology with jack up rigs or similar floating infrastructure to enable a much lower cost and faster deployment schedule than today’s floating liquefaction vessels,” it said.
Also, NFE is in “advanced discussions” for the deployment of this technology in several other markets around the world, including offshore US.
“The production of liquefied natural gas from these fields with our innovative Fast LNG liquefiers will help accelerate the global transition to cleaner fuels,” said Wes Edens, chairman and CEO of NFE.
“Supply of natural gas and modern power infrastructure will also help bring more affordable, reliable and cleaner power to support industrial development and sustainable economic growth in Mauritania and, at the same time, unlock the country’s potential to be a top exporter of clean LNG and blue ammonia,” Edens said.
If realized, this would not be the first FLNG project offshore Mauritania. BP and Kosmos are already developing the Tortue FLNG project located offshore Mauritania and Senegal.
Singapore’s Keppel shipyard is currently converting Golar’s Gimi FLNG for the project. The yard should deliver the FLNG in 2023.
