The Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) has hailed the first shipment of LNG from the Gladstone LNG (GLNG) project as a “major milestone” for Australia on its journey to leadership in the global LNG industry.
The Santos GLNG project is the fifth operating LNG project in Australia. The project, which is a joint venture between Santos, Petronas, Total and Kogas, produces natural gas from Queensland’s coal seams and converts it into LNG. It will have the capacity to produce 7.8 million tpy of LNG when fully operational.
In a statement on its website, the APPEA said that the LNG shipment highlights Australia’s emergence as a world leader in the global LNG industry despite the downturn in the global price of global crude oil and LNG.
APPEA Chief Executive, Dr Malcolm Roberts, said: “Fortunately for Australia and the companies involved much of the infrastructure needed to export LNG is either completed or nearing completion […] While the oil and gas industry faces the same headwinds as other commodities, we are resilient enough to fend off the latest industry challenges […] Completing one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the world is an extraordinary achievement and all those who worked on Santos GLNG, contractors and service providers are to be congratulated,” he said.
Australia has another five projects that are progressing towards completion, including Queensland’s Australia Pacific LNG project, which is expected to be commissioned by the end of the year.
Edited from press release by Callum O'Reilly