FLNG takes centre stage

Floating LNG is soon likely to provide virtually all new export capacity in West Africa

A new era for West African liquefied natural gas exports began when the Hilli Episeyo floating LNG (FLNG) facility started test production off Cameroon in March. It could be the first of at least half a dozen similar vessels to be deployed in the region in the next five years or so. The Hilli Episeyo, which has a production capacity of 1.2m tonnes a year, was due to ship its first cargo in May from the Kribi development off southern Cameroon, operated by French firm Perenco. All output is to be sold to Gazprom Marketing and Trading for eight years, drawing on 500bn cubic feet of gas from the Sanaga Sud and Ebome fields. If it operates smoothly, the Hilli Episeyo facility, which was built on