BP's Juniper Platform Sails off for Trinidad Installation

BP has announced that the new Juniper offshore platform has begun its journey towards the southeast coast of Trinidad where it will become the company's 14th offshore installation. The Juniper project, with a production capacity of 590mn ft³/day, is a $2bn investment in Trinidad & Tobago and one of BP’s largest start-up projects in 2017.

The Juniper project was sanctioned a few years ago and was an important part of the future of BP in Trinidad & Tobago, said country head Norman Christie. “Today, we are pleased to see the project progress even further and closer to start up with the sail away of the jacket and topsides. This is a fantastic achievement by the project team and is a very visible sign of our commitment to maintaining a successful long term business in T&T.” 

The Juniper project comprises a platform made up of jacket, piles and topsides, and corresponding subsea infrastructure which will be installed 50 miles offshore in 360 ft of water. Gas will flow through the Mahogany B offshore hub.

The gas will be bought by National Gas Company for it to apportion between the respective needs of BP, a co-venturer in the Atlantic LNG plant, and the domestic consumption. Christie said the gas from Juniper will be the largest volume of gas brought into the country in several years and it would can help alleviate the supply and demand imbalance in the Caribbean nation. 

Oil and gas exploration in Trinidad began in the mid-19th century and the country has been a commercial oil producer since 1908 and commercial gas producer since 1953. The first offshore platforms were started in 1981 and Atlantic LNG shipped its first cargo in 1999.

William Powell