The Petronas Floating LNG Satu completed first drop at Kebabangan field, the LNG facility’s second location.
Image: The Petronas Floating LNG Satu at sea. Photo: courtesy of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS).
Malaysian state-owned oil company Petronas has produced its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its Petronas Floating LNG Satu (PFLNG Satu) facility at the Kebabangan cluster field located 90km offshore Sabah.
The Kebabangan field, located in the South China Sea, is operated by the Kebabangan Petroleum Operating Company (KPOC) and is the second location for the floating LNG facility. The cluster is owned by Petronas Carigali (40%), ConocoPhillips (30%) and Shell (30%).
PFLNG Satu has completed operations at Kanowit field off the coast of Sarawak in Malaysia.
The firm said in a statement: “The commencement of a series of start-up activities included the cooling down of natural gas until the production of the first LNG drop on 7th May 2019, just 3 days after.”
The first LNG cargo delivery at the new field is scheduled to commence in June 2019.
PFLNG Satu is operated by Petronas
Petronas LNG asset vice-president Zakaria Kasah said: “This achievement showcases our focused execution and close collaboration efforts, within PETRONAS as well as externally with the State government and regulatory bodies.
“We not only prove our concept of relocatable floating LNG facility, but we have also seamlessly achieved the first LNG drop in just 3 days after first gas in. This is indeed another proud moment and a great milestone for PETRONAS and the floating LNG industry.”
With a processing capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), the 365m-long and approximately 60m-wide PFLNG Satu is designed for water-depth of between 70m and 200m.
The FLNG facility is equipped to facilitate the development of small and remote offshore fields in Malaysia.
In April 2019, Petronas subsidiary Petronas Petróleo Brasil (PPBL) signed an agreement to acquire 50% equity in the Tartaruga Verde field (BM-C-36 Concession) from Brazil’s Petróleo Brasileiro (Petrobras).
The firm intends to acquire stake in Tartaruga Verde field and its facilities, Module III of the Espadarte field, both located in deep waters of the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil.
The acquisition is part of Petronas’ plan to diversify and expand its oil business portfolio in South America.