Power and automation firm ABB has won two contracts worth a combined $45million on the Ichthys oil and gas project offshore Western Australia.
Ichthys field layout (Image: Inpex)The firm has been appointed the main electrical contractor (MEC) for a new floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for the Ichthys oil and gas field in the Timor Sea.
The order, worth $30million, was awarded by the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the FPSO, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.
ABB was also awarded a $15 million order by Samsung Heavy Industries to be the MEC for the Ichthys central processing facility, which, when completed will be the largest offshore production facility in the world.
The two contracts follow ABB winning orders worth $80 million to supply power technologies and medium voltage drive systems for a new onshore liquefied natural gas plant, to which the gas from the Ichthys field will be transported by pipeline for processing.
Ichthys is the second largest oil and gas project in Australia’s history. When production starts in 2016 Ichthys will have an initial production capacity of 8.4 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas and 1.6 million metric tons of liquefied petroleum gas a year, as well as about 100,000 barrels of condensate a day at peak.
The $32 billion project is a joint venture between Japan-based Inpex Corporation and Total E&P Australia.
“ABB is proud to be playing a principal role in this, one of the largest and most prestigious projects in Australia’s oil and gas industry,” said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB’s Process Automation division. “Our ability to provide a state-of-the-art solution, coupled with our extensive local resources and track record in similar oil and gas projects in Australia, were key to our winning this important order.”
The work on the FPSO will involve a range of ABB power products and systems, including high voltage air and gas insulated switchgear, low voltage switchboards, and liquid-filled and dry-type transformers. ABB is also responsible for design, engineering, installation, commissioning and project management.
It will also include the largest delivery of MNS iS low voltage switchgear and motor control centers that ABB has ever made to the offshore oil and gas industry. The MNS iS platform provides an innovative and fully integrated motor control center that separates the electrical and control modules from each other to ensure staff safety during maintenance and inspection.
The Ichthys oil and gas field is estimated to contain 12.8 trillion cubic feet of gas and 527 million barrels of condensate, and have an operational life of more than 40 years.
Gas from the field will undergo preliminary processing at the offshore CPF to remove water and raw liquids, including a large proportion of the condensate.
The condensate will be pumped to a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel anchored nearby, from which it will be transferred to tankers for delivery to markets.
The gas will be transported from the CPF through an 885 km pipeline to an onshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing plant near Darwin, Australia.
For more on the Ichthys project, view the video below:
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