Petronas is pushing the frontiers of floating LNG technology to develop stranded gas reservoirs in deepwater
In November, Petronas held a naming ceremony for its second floating LNG facility, PFLNG Dua, at South Korean shipyard Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI). When it is commissioned in 2020 the FLNG will have the capability to liquefy gas extracted from deepwater reservoirs in depths of up to 1,500 m.
The Malaysian energy company calls PFLNG Dua “bigger and better” than 365-m PFLNG Satu, its first FLNG, which achieved its first LNG cargo on 1 April 2017 and which is moored some 180 km offshore Bintulu in Sarawak, Malaysia. PFLNG Dua will have the capability to produce 1.5 mta of LNG, with a storage capacity of 177,000 m3. By comparison, PFLNG Satu has a capacity to produce 1.2 mta of LNG.
Designed for a 20-year operational life, the US$1.6Bn PFLNG Dua was jointly built by JGC Corporation and SHI, the consortium responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) of the floating LNG facility.
Construction on 393-m PFLNG Dua started in 2015 and once completed in February 2020 it will be moored at the Rotan Gas Field in water of 1,300 m, located 140 km offshore Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
In his speech at the naming ceremony at SHI’s Geoje Island shipyard, Petronas president and group CEO Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee said that PFLNG Dua is a key solution to monetise stranded deepwater gas fields in a safe, economical and sustainable manner. “The development of PFLNG Dua is a step forward in providing a new supply source of clean energy and in realising our shared aspiration for a low carbon future,” he said. “As an integrated energy player, Petronas is fully invested to unlock the potential of natural gas through technology and innovative solutions,” he added.
Petronas is also willing to add a third FLNG to its portfolio if the right opportunity should present itself, according to Petronas gas and new energy business executive vice president and chief executive Adnan Zainal Abidin. “If there is a reservoir with a sizeable amount of reserves and with the right gas composition that it is economically viable, it opens up a case for another floater,” he was quoted in local Malaysian media as saying.
He points out that an FLNG could be used for both offshore and nearshore applications and not just in Malaysia. He said the company was exploring opportunities outside of Malaysia in Africa, Brazil and Mexico.
“Whenever we find gas, we have the option to monetise it. So, this gives us a new play to remain relevant in the LNG market,” he said. He also pointed out that the environmental footprint of a FLNG vessel is much smaller as compared with onshore facilities, in keeping with the company’s sustainability goals.
An integrated global LNG producer with an LNG sales capacity of 34 mta, Petronas has delivered more than 10,000 LNG cargoes from its global portfolio of facilities in Malaysia, Australia and Egypt. Petronas also holds a 25% interest in LNG Canada, the Canadian LNG export facility which will be built in Kitimat, British Columbia, and which includes the design, construction and operation of a natural gas liquefaction plant and facilities for the storage and export of LNG, including marine facilities.
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