Oz platform grabs 'largest' tag

Release Date: 2011-05-04

Size matters when it comes to developing the massive gas resources on the hydrocarbon-rich basins off Western Australia, an academic claims.

The North West Shelf Venture's North Rankin A project was the among the country's first offshore producing fields and home to the world's largest gas production platforms in the world at the time of its construction, David White, a professorial fellow with the University of Western Australia, said at an OTC 2011 morning conference in Houston.

The Woodside Petroleum-operated platform is capable of producing in excess of 1 billion cubic feet per day of gas and 47,400 barrels of condensate.

Australia is set to extend its lead by hosting the world's first large-scale floating liquefied natural gas plant. Shell is due to make a final investment decision at mid-year on a FLNG unit destined for the Prelude field in Western Australia's Browse basin.

The 480-metre-long, 75-metre-wide 600,000 tonne facility will also be one of the world's largest floating structures.

Shell has commissioned France's Technip and South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries to carry out front-end engineering studies on the FLNG plant.

Type:	NORMAL
Url:	http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article254818.ece