Aberdeen’s offshore engineering capabilities are playing an increasingly vital role in supporting fast-track deepwater development in West Africa, with Altera Infrastructure highlighting its UK operations as central to delivering projects in emerging African offshore hubs, particularly Ivory Coast’s rapidly expanding Baleine development.
Stig Bøtker, Altera’s Director of Business Development, pointed to the Petrojarl Kong FPSO at the Eni-operated Baleine field as a prime example. The vessel was redeveloped on an accelerated 24-month schedule, starting in late 2022 and achieving first oil in December 2024. It currently processes 40,000 barrels per day of oil and 44 million standard cubic feet per day of gas, with the associated gas supplying an onshore power plant in Ivory Coast.
Altera secured $464 million in post-delivery financing through a U.S. private placement, marking the first transaction of its kind for a West African offshore project and strengthening the commercial framework for future regional developments.
The company has focused heavily on expanding Ivory Coast’s energy workforce and supplier base, achieving 85 percent Ivorian employment onshore and 46 percent offshore through training programs, partnerships with technical institutions, and hands-on development aboard the company’s FPSOs. Bøtker emphasized that strengthening local suppliers and building long-term capability remains essential for the region’s development.
Altera is deploying emissions-reduction technologies already used in the North Sea and aims to source more equipment and services locally as the Baleine project grows. The firm anticipates additional project opportunities in Ivory Coast, where the government is pushing for accelerated oil and gas development to support domestic energy supply.
Source: worldoil.com