London-listed Ophir Energy is in talks with Equatorial Guinea’s government to bring on-stream a second LNG train in 2017-18.

Ophir has found enough gas in block R to underpin fully a second liquefaction train at Punta Europa on Bioko Island with significant remaining gas potential in the acreage.

Chief executive Nick Cooper said the Equatoguinean government “wants to beat East African gas to market” and all parties aim to make a final investment decision on a second train in 2014.

Ophir has so far found about 3 trillion cubic feet of gas in block R with the potential for at least a further 7 Tcf to be discovered.

The company’s recent drilling successes on its acreage have significantly de-risked future exploration in the asset, a second drilling campaign is planned next year, and this has given the government the confidence to forge ahead with a new train.

Cooper said the government is in “top gear now” on the new LNG train in what looks to be a more streamlined development process.

As block R has enough gas to support a new train there is no need for the government to secure associated gas from Noble Energy’s discoveries in blocks I and O, east of Bioko. This makes the “picture simpler to get the gas to market”, said Cooper.

However, he added that a floating LNG option is still on the table “if we find we’re being stalled” on the onshore train.

Cooper said the company has had approaches “from players with FLNG experience”.

The size of the onshore train will be determined by how much more gas is found in block R. Ophir suggested, for example, it will need about 5.4 Tcf to underpin a 5 million tonnes per annum unit.

This compares to the first Punta Europa train, which can handle 3.7 million tpa.

Regardless of how block R’s gas will be developed, Ophir will bring in a partner for the offshore element, which will probably involve subsea wells feeding gas direct to shore via a 140-kilometre pipeline.

That company will not be involved in the LNG facilities.

Building on BG Group’s success in selling LNG from the first Punta Europa train, the Asia-Pacific will be the target market for train 2 output.