Golar LNG's new joint venture with Schlumberger is to work with exploration firm Ophir Energy in Africa.
The OneLNG combination, announced in July, has signed a binding agreement to form a joint operating company (JOC) to develop the Fortuna project off Equatorial Guinea.
Golar will use its FLNG technology for the work.
OneLNG and Ophir will have 66.2% and 33.8% ownership respectively.
The new company will facilitate the financing, construction, development and operation of the $2bn project and will own Ophir's share of the Block R licence and Golar's 125,000-cbm LNG carrier Gandria (built 1977), which is being converted into an FLNG vessel.
"This innovative structure aligns investment across the value chain and provides a framework to promptly deliver a fully financed project," the companies said.
The deal is subject to approval by the government of Equatorial Guinea.
A final investment decision is now expected to take place in the first half of 2017, with the first gas anticipated in the first half of 2020.
Initial off-take is expected to be between 2.2 and 2.5 mtpa.
Jeff Goodrich, CEO of OneLNG, said: "OneLNG was formed to provide an integrated approach to operators to reduce risk and costs and accelerate the time to monetise stranded gas reserves, and thereby transforming the economic viability of such projects.
"We are pleased to sign a shareholders' agreement with Ophir for the formation of the Fortuna JOC. We look forward to working with Ophir and all of the other stakeholders to deliver OneLNG's and Africa's first deep-water FLNG project."
Schlumberger had previously terminated discussions with Ophir Energy for the Fortuna project in April.
