The developers of the cross-border Greater Tortue Ahmeyim offshore floating LNG facility off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal reached a final investment decision for the first phase of the project.

BP PLC, along with partners Kosmos Energy LLC and Senegalese companies Pétroles du Sénégal and Société Mauritanienne Des Hydrocarbures et de Patrimoine Minier, made the decision following a meeting with President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania and President Macky Sall of Senegal, according to a Dec. 21 news release. Following a competitive tender process, BP Gas Marketing Ltd. was selected as the buyer for the off-take of the project's first phase.

The development is set to produce gas from an ultra-deepwater subsea system and mid-water floating production, storage and off-loading vessel, which would be transferred to a floating LNG facility at a hub near the shore on the maritime border of the two African countries. The floating LNG facility would provide an average of roughly 2.5 million tonnes of LNG per year. The LNG from the project will be exported and used domestically in both countries, according to the release.

The developers are already working on the next phases of project development, aiming to raise its liquefaction capacity to about 10 million tonnes per annum, Kosmos Chairman and CEO Andrew Inglis said in a separate news release.

"We also believe there is potential for two additional world-class gas hubs in the region — one near the Bir Allah discovery offshore Mauritania and the other near the Yakaar/Teranga discoveries offshore Senegal," Inglis said.

The developers are now aiming to get final regulatory and contract approvals for the project to move forward with design and construction activities, which are expected to begin during the first quarter of 2019.