Santos’s $US18.5 billion liquefied natural gas project in Queensland is 80 per cent complete, with the final three prefabricated modules for the gas processing plant having arrived at Gladstone’s Curtis Island.
Rod Duke, Santos’s vice president downstream GLNG, said the arrival of the last three modules, weighing a combined 2777 tonnes, was a milestone given they are the last of the major components needed to deliver the first liquefaction processing plant, due to start production next year.
The processing plant, or train, comprises 82 modules and has taken almost two years to build, with US private company Bechtel acting as the main engineering and construction contractor. Construction of the project’s second LNG train is not so far advanced.
The GLNG project, which includes the world’s biggest LNG buyer, Korea Gas Corporation, as well as France’s Total and Malaysia’s Petronas, is Santos’s biggest investment and will drive a step-change in its production and cash flows.
Queensland’s first LNG exports are due to be shipped later this year, from BG Group’s $US20.4 billion Queensland Curtis project. Origin Energy’s $24.7 billion Australia Pacific LNG venture is also under construction and is also due to start production in 2015
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