Phoenix Development and Havenbeheer Suriname have submitted a scoping report to Suriname’s National Institute for Environment and Development (NIMOS) seeking environmental authorisation for the planned liquid natural gas and mega port project – Firebird LNG.
In a May 8 announcement, Firebird said the report is the first stage of the stakeholder consultation process for the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA).
“Firebird LNG is moving at light speed to make Suriname a supplier of LNG to the global Energy Transition!” the announcement said.
The project was launched back in November by Dutch head-of-state Chandrikapersad Santoki. It will be located in Nieuw Nickerie on the country’s northern coast and will serve as a gas solution for platforms in the territorial waters of both Suriname and Guyana.
The project scope includes the construction of a gas processing plant and liquid natural gas (LNG) export terminal, offshore support infrastructure, a gas-fired power plant and a commercial industrial complex dubbed the ‘Special Economic Zone’.
The overall site is 1,500 hectares and will cost US$5.4 billion to construct.
“The project will be developed in phases with the LNG train and export facilities and SEZ being early priority developments, provided with power from the gas-fired combined cycle power plant,” Firebird LNG explained.
The accompanying deepwater port will be a later-stage development and will be based on an expansion of the offshore infrastructure to be created to house the LNG processing, storage, and offloading facility.
“The provision of an LNG terminal, deepwater port facility and associated special economic zone is seen as a nationally strategic infrastructure project that will unlock significant economic growth in Suriname, both directly and indirectly through the enablement of growth in the nascent offshore oil and gas industry and opening of regionally significant logistics resources as well as providing a vital energy source for European and other markets,” Firebird noted.
The planned port for Suriname shares similarities with another being built in neighbouring Guyana – the Port of Vreed-en-Hoop. It will also feature a shore base, economic zone and dry dock area to service Guyana’s oil sector.
Thus far, Suriname has churned out six successful oil finds offshore – five in Block 58 and one in Block 53. The blocks are operated by TotalEnergies and APA Corporation respectively.