A potential gas leak has been revealed from a well at the flagship Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project, located offshore Mauritania and Senegal
Operator BP said that it had detected subsea gas ‘bubbles’ at one of its wells, A02, during a planned commissioning test at the project site, which straddles the border between the two West African countries.
The company has put in place a plan to rectify any issues but added that the incident would not disrupt output or create any significant environmental impact.
“We have a plan to stop the bubbles,” the company told Reuters in an email statement.
“As part of that plan we have mobilised specialised equipment and personnel to support the rectification efforts.”
BP is developing the mega project alongside US-listed partner Kosmos Energy and two minority stakeholders, Petrosen and SMH.
Mauritania's oil ministry adviser, Ahmed Vall Ould Mohameden, was also cited by the news agency as saying that similar incidents can often occur at the start of production.
"Last week a plane carrying equipment to plug the leak was sent to the site to repair it."
The GTA project produced its first gas at the start of 2025 and is set to become a major gas exporter in the years ahead, producing 2.3 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) a year during a first phase.
According to BP, it represents one of the deepest and most complex gas development projects yet in Africa, with gas resources located in water depths of up to 2,850 metres.
Gas from GTA Phase 1 is sent to the GTA floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) approximately 40 km offshore, where water, condensate and impurities are removed.
From there, the gas is transferred via pipeline to a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessel 10 km offshore, to be cryogenically cooled, liquefied and stored before being transferred to LNG carriers for export.
Some of the gas is also being allocated to help meet growing energy demand in the two host countries.
Read more:
African LNG projects set to benefit with natural gas seen as a bridge fuel in the energy transition
FLNG Gimi receives feed gas from GTA project offshore Mauritania and Senegal
BP's Greater Tortue Ahmeyim offshore Mauritania and Senegal sees first gas
Gas leak setback for Senegal-Mauritania LNG
BP’s GTA project will boost global LNG supply (IMAGE SOURCE: BP)
