Shell’s monumental Prelude FLNG facility is poised to commence chilled gas production offshore Western Australia in 2017, according to Peter Styles, the Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.
Styles shared this update during the LNG18 conference in Perth, expressing that while the Prelude FLNG was initially anticipated to begin production this year, the timeline has shifted to 2017.
Shell, headquartered in The Hague and renowned as a global LNG leader, has been relatively opaque regarding the production commencement timeline for the immense floating facility stationed at the Prelude gas field off Australia’s coast.
A Shell spokesperson declined to provide specific details on the Prelude FLNG project’s anticipated schedule to LNG World News. However, they referred to a statement by Shell CEO Ben van Beurden, delivered during a media round table at the LNG18 conference.
Van Beurden noted, “We expect real material cash from Prelude in 2018,” emphasizing the project’s strategic importance. He reiterated Shell’s commitment to prioritize the successful deployment and operation of the Prelude FLNG.
The Prelude FLNG, under construction at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Geoje shipyard in South Korea, is unparalleled in scale, boasting dimensions of 488 meters in length and 74 meters in width.
Anticipated to remain moored at the Prelude gas field for 25 years, the FLNG facility is projected to produce 3.6 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG, 1.3 mtpa of condensate, and 0.4 mtpa of LPG for export.
Despite its monumental scale, the Prelude FLNG may not secure the title of the world’s first operational floating LNG facility. Petronas’ PFLNG SATU is expected to achieve this milestone in the coming months, followed by Exmar’s Caribbean FLNG.
While the FLNG industry faces challenges, including Woodside’s Browse FLNG project and Inpex-operated Abadi FLNG encountering setbacks, the industry’s pioneering efforts signify a significant milestone in the evolution of LNG production methodologies.
