Last month the LNG carrier British Sponsor introduced first gas to the vessel. While preparations continue, more gas will be used from this cargo until the GTA FPSO is ready to export gas to the Gimi.

Commissioning activity will then ramp up further.

In September, Golar signed an EPC agreement with CIMC Raffles for its first 3.5 MMt/year MK II FLNG. The MK II design employs the same topside equipment as the MK I but features advances in efficiency and operability.

The estimated budget for the conversion project is $2.2 billion, with the MK II FLNG set to be delivered in fourth-quarter 2027. At that point, it will represent the first available FLNG capacity globally, the company claimed.

Under the same EPC agreement, Golar has an option for a second MK II FLNG conversion slot at CIMC for delivery by 2028.

Earlier this year, Golar and PAE entered agreements for a 20-year FLNG deployment project in Argentina, harnessing produced gas from the Vaca Muerta Shale deposit in the onshore Neuquén Basin. The goal is to begin LNG exports by 2027.

PAE issued a reservation notice reserving the FLNG Hilli for the project in October. Initially, the vessel will use spare capacity in Argentina's existing pipeline network.

Investigations are also underway concerning construction of a dedicated pipeline connecting the FLNG terminal location directly to the Vaca Muerta Shale formation. In time, that could support a multi-FLNG vessel project in Argentina.