Gastech highlights LNG terminal innovations
Developments of new gas reserves and markets are causing a rapid growth of LNG terminals and related infrastructure.
At the Gastech 2014 conference in Seoul, South Korea, Yang Young Myung, executive VP of the R&D Division for KOGAS, reviewed recent trends in LNG terminals. He noted that the total global capacity of plants was 290 million tpa at the end of 2013, with 21 new projects now under construction.
Shell’s Prelude FLNG
Jim Marshall, asset manager for Prelude FLNG at Shell Development (Australia), discussed Shell’s Prelude FLNG project, which is being built by Samsung Heavy Industries. The project is based on the company’s floating LNG technology and would be the first facility ever to produce, liquefy, store and transfer LNG at sea. It will be located at the Browse Basin, approximately 475 km north of Broome in Western Australia.
Marshall commented: “All of these technologies are basically proven and existing. What is novel in this concept is that we’re bringing it into one unit, one floating barge offshore,” referring to the subsea infrastructure, offshore production facilities, gas treatment, fractionation/compression, liquefaction, and other technologies being employed.
Exxonmobil’s PNG export terminal
Eskender Said, marine engineering lead for ExxonMobil, reviewed the company’s LNG export terminal in Papua New Guinea. The marine facility includes a 2.4 km long approach trestle and a common LNG and condensate berth.
Noble Energy’s Cyprus project
Gregory Beard, commercial manager for LNG at Noble Energy, offered an update on the company’s LNG export project in Cyprus. In late 2011, Noble Energy announced its field gas discovery in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone, which is located in the challenging deep-water environment of the Levant Basin.
The region may contain 122 trillion ft3 of recoverable gas, according to the US Geological Survey. Beard explained: “The good news is there have only been two wells drilled in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone,” noting that the region holds huge potential and that the Cyprus government is moving quickly to award new blocks. However, he added that field development costs could be substantial.
Asian markets
Developing the gas resources will require innovative solutions to balance domestic gas requirements with export opportunities. “Cyprus LNG can be provided to Asian markets at very competitive costs,” Beard concluded, adding that the company’s first LNG could be available from Cyprus in 2020.
Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward
Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/25032014/gastech_highlights_lng_terminal_innovations_336/
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