Japan’s JGC Holdings Corp has won the contract for the front-end engineering and design (FEED) of Nigeria’s first floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project, along with Technip Energies of France.

The project is being developed by UTM Offshore, a private Nigerian company engaged primarily in crude oil sales, and an established provider of marine logistic support services to the oil and gas sector.

Kanagawa-headquartered JGC has set the completion date for FEED for December 2023. The plant is expected to produce 1.2 million tonnes of LNG per annum, and other products including liquefied petroleum gas and condensates.

JGC will be primarily responsible for the topside design covering the LNG production facilities, while Technip will handle the hull and the mooring system design.

Upon completion of the FEED, JGC and Technip are likely to move ahead to the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phase.

JGC has delivered the EPC for two previously completed floating LNG facilities for Malaysian oil major Petronas. It also worked alongside Technip for the Coral South FLNG project in Mozambique, which shipped its first cargo this month.