Air Products, Lehigh
Valley, Pa., a provider of liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology and
equipment, is increasing its presence in Australia''s rapidly growing LNG
production market.
Air Products has
signed an agreement with JKC Joint Venture (JV) and INPEX Operations Australia
Pty Ltd, for the supply of the liquefaction technology and main cryogenic heat
exchangers for two process trains that will produce a total of 8.4 million tons
of LNG per year. Air Products'' LNG heat exchanger technology will operate in
Darwin, Australia as part of the Ichthys LNG Project, expected to be onstream
by the end of 2016.
"This project
extends our presence in Australia, which is the most active area in the world
right now in LNG project development. If the pace of activity continues, before
too long Australia may be able to lay claim to the title of the world''s largest
exporter of LNG," Jim Solomon, director – LNG at Air Products, says. "Spurring
this growth is the fact that natural gas usage is increasing in importance on a
worldwide basis as a source of clean energy. As a result, Air Products is
seeing increased project activity globally, and we see the projected growth for
LNG continuing over the next decade."
Under the agreement
with JKC and INPEX, Air Products will provide two main cryogenic heat
exchangers with a proprietary propane pre-cooled mixed refrigerant process
using the SplitMR machinery configuration to produce the LNG. The LNG units
will process natural gas from the substantial reserves located in the Browse
Basin offshore Western Australia. The Ichthys LNG Project is a joint venture
between INPEX as operator and Total. The project will provide crucial long term
energy supply toJapan and other customers.
This is Air Products''
second Australian LNG project announcement in the past year. In 2011, Air
Products was selected to supply its proprietary cryogenic coil wound LNG heat
exchangers for what is the world''s first sanctioned Floating LNG (FLNG)
facility being developed for the Shell Prelude FLNG Project, also to be located
in the Browse Basin off the northwest coast ofWestern Australia. INPEX is a
17.5 percent participant in the Prelude FLNG Project as well.
Air Products is also providing its proprietary LNG process technology and equipment for three process trains producing up to 15 million tons of LNG per annum at the Gorgon Project, currently under construction on Barrow Island off the coast of Western Australia.