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Perenco’s Cap Lopez LNG terminal in Gabon is rapidly gaining momentum, with operations set to start by the end of 2027. The company selected global service company Dixstone to lead the construction, procurement and integration of the facility. Benoît de la Fouchardiere, CEO of Dixstone and former CEO of Perenco, shared insights into the project ahead of African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025 – taking place September 29 to October 3.

Please elaborate on the allocation of the $2 billion investment for the Cap Lopez project in Gabon?

It is very straightforward, with $1 billion allocated for the upstream part – including the collection of gas flaring and marginal gas, compression and transport to the Cap Lopez terminal – and $1 billion allocated for the near-short liquefaction project. The liquefaction project features a barge with 700,000 tons per annum capacity, a gas tanker for storage and all offloading capacity.

How are you ensuring a seamless integration across all the different components of the project?

This is one of the main challenges for a project of this magnitude, because you have about 20 different fields across 700 kilometers that have to be connected all together. You need to add a compression unit along the way and you require upstream elements that need to be developed at the same time as the liquefaction barge which is being built in Dubai. To ensure integration, we have a monthly steering meeting. Perenco organized a bid for this project, awarded to Dixstone.

It has to be noted that a project of this scale does not exist on the continent. This project is seen as a small scale. Dixstone knows and understands this. The company has been able to deliver exactly what Perenco needs. With Dixstone as the construction and procurement contractor, you have a link between the entities and can align the interests between the contractor and the operator.

What are your short-term objectives for the project and what role does Technomak play?

We expect the liquefaction project to come online by the end of 2027. We have two years of development ahead. Gabon will be busy laying the pipeline, installing gas compressors and drilling gas wells. Dixstone signed a contract with Technomak for some modules and the barge integration. So Technomak’s scope is the modules – which are being built in Dubai – and the integration of the near-shore project. We also signed contracts with Fabtech – a yard in the UAE – and Dubai Dry Dock.

How will the Cap Lopez project contribute to increasing access to cleaner energy sources for electricity generation and industrial use within the country? Can this be replicated in other markets?

Perenco have been a pioneer in deploying gas-to-power projects in Central Africa. The company has projects active in Gabon, in the DRC – where Perenco is the sole oil and gas producer – and distributes power to Muanda, the city nearby. You need to meet the needs of the people. Additionally, if we want to reduce our emissions, we need to find a way to valorize this gas and liquefaction is the perfect way to do it. The idea is to replicate the project. As Dixstone, the engineering was done in a manner that the solutions can be applied to other countries, simply by replicating and adapting processes.

Are there any provisions within the EPCCI agreement that encourage or mandate knowledge transfer and capacity building for Gabonese personnel, even though the primary fabrication is occurring outside Gabon?

This is a project by Gabon for Gabon. Half of the project is being developed in the country, in terms of the upstream. On the liquefaction part, there is currently no liquefaction facility in the country. So, we have to go to a place where they are used to building liquefaction units, and Dubai is one of the obvious choices. What is fundamental now is assessing how we can incorporate the Gabonese people and employees into the Dubai entity. They have to be part of the team from day one, coming as Perenco-Gabon or as Dixstone-Gabon. We have a selection process: we will retain at least five Gabonese that will have direct responsibility for the project.

What specific strategies are Perenco and Dixstone implementing to facilitate local content in Gabon across multiple projects?

Perenco has been active in Gabon for 30 years and its commitment to the country is fundamental. There are approximately 1,000 Gabonese working for Perenco Gabon, while Dixstone has 200 employees in the country today. We have the biggest yard of Central Africa active in Port Gentil. We have a number of unit rigs and vessels in the country and have brought in heavy lift barges. This not only supports our own needs but also supports the development of other projects. We also have a floating training barge which operates across various regions. The barge facilitates skills development and we have already trained more than 3,500 people in five countries. It is fit-for-market. You can take the barge where the demand for training is.