Shell plc, a top natural gas producer in Trinidad and Tobago’s offshore, is building capacity after sanctioning the Manatee field, estimated to hold 2.7 Tcf.
Shell Trinidad and Tobago Ltd. took the final investment decision on the gas field, which is in the East Coast Marine Area (ECMA). Manatee is slated to ramp in 2027. Once online, peak production is expected to be 104,000 boe/d, with 604 MMcf/d of gas.
“This project will help meet the increasing demand for natural gas globally, while also addressing the energy needs of our customers domestically in Trinidad and Tobago,” Shell’s Zoë Yujnovich, Integrated Gas and Upstream director, said. “The investment bolsters our world-leading LNG portfolio in line with our commitment to invest in competitive projects that deliver more value with less emissions.”
Shell operates Manatee and holds all of the interests under the sub-Block 6D production sharing contract.
The Loran-Manatee field was discovered in 1983 and subsequently appraised via four wells, Shell noted. The Loran portion of the field is in Venezuelan waters, while Manatee “represents the portion of the field in Trinidad and Tobago waters.”
Trinidad and Tobago has been working to increase its domestic natural gas production, Prime Minister Kev Rowley said last fall.
Output from the field would feed the flagship Atlantic LNG export facility. One of the trains at the 15 million metric tons/year (mmty) site was idled in 2020 because of insufficient feed gas supply.
“Increasing utilization at existing LNG plants is an important lever to maximize potential from Shell’s existing assets,” the company noted.
The ECMA is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most prolific gas-producing areas. It already is home to Shell’s largest gas fields in the country, including Bounty, Dolphin, Endeavour and Starfish.
And Ruwais Investment
Meanwhile, subsidiary Shell Overseas Holdings Ltd. has signed an agreement to secure a 10% participating interest in the Ruwais LNG project in Abu Dhabi underway by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (Adnoc).
Adnoc sanctioned Ruwais in June.
“This investment decision builds on our long-standing partnership with Adnoc," Shell CEO Wael Sawan said. "In line with our strategy to create more value with less emissions, we are investing in additional LNG capacity and further growing our world-leading LNG portfolio, with energy-efficient and carbon-competitive projects."
Ruwais would include two 4.8 mmty LNG liquefaction trains with a total capacity of 9.6 mmty. Ruwais is set to have an electric-powered liquefaction system and would use renewable power supply.
Shell, through subsidiary Shell International Trading Middle East Ltd. FZE, has also signed an agreement to offtake 1 mmty of LNG produced by the Ruwais project.
Adnoc would hold a majority 60% share in the project and serve as the lead developer and operator. Shell, along with BP plc, Mitsui & Co. Ltd. and TotalEnergies SE would each hold 10%.
By 2030, Shell is working to expand its LNG business by 20-30% from 2022. LNG liquefaction volumes are expected to increase by 25-30%, relative to 2022.
