BP Sanctions Trinidad Projects

UK major, BP, has taken the final investment decision to go ahead with two gas developments offshore Trinidad & Tobago, it said December 14, these are Cassia Compression and Matapal. The output will be split between domestic and export markets.

The Cassia Compression project will enable BPTT, which is 30% owned by Spain's Repsol, to access and produce low-pressure gas reserves from the currently-producing fields in the Greater Cassia Area and this means building an unmanned platform; Cassia C. Gas production from the Greater Cassia Area will be routed to Cassia C for compression before being exported from the adjacent Cassia B platform. First gas from the facility is expected in 3Q 2021.

BP said this would be important "for maintaining the stability of Trinidad's gas production and the supply to downstream customers and Atlantic LNG. The final investment decision for this project was made possible with the conclusion of the first phase of negotiations with the government of Trinidad & Tobago, which included the resolution of several commercial issues".

The Matapal project will develop resources discovered by BP in 2017 with the Savannah exploration well. The project will be a three-well subsea tie-back to the existing Juniper platform. With production capacity of 400mn ft³/day, first gas from Matapal is expected in 2022.

Cassia C will be 57 km off the southeast coast of Trinidad and have a throughput capacity of 1.2bn ft³/day. The topside structure will be built in Altamira, Mexico, where McDermott has a construction yard. The US company won the Cassia contract for engineering and long lead procurement in March.