Qatargas II project accelerates

12 November 2004
Two key elements on the integrated Qatar Liquefied Gas Company II (Qatargas II) project fell into place in the second week of November, with the formal award of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the UK gas receiving terminal at Milford Haven and the placing of orders for eight liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers. The award of the final EPC contract on the scheme, covering the liquefaction plant at Ras Laffan, is expected in the first half of December.

The US' Chicago Bridge & Iron (CB&I)was awarded on 10 November the estimated $725 million-750 million turnkey contract for the receiving terminal, which will have initial capacity of 7.8 million tonnes a year (t/y) with an option to expand it to 15.6 million t/y. The scope of works includes a ship unloading system, three 155,000-cubic-metre LNG storage tanks, a regassification system and marine works to upgrade the existing jetty to receive LNG tankers. CB&I was low bidder for the work (MEED 29:10:04).

Commissioning is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2007. The facility will be owned and operated by South Hook LNG Terminal Company, a UK-registered joint venture between Qatar Terminal Companyand ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Terminal Company.

Orders were also placed in the second week of November with three South Korean shipyards to build eight LNG tankers to transport LNG to the UK. Hyundai Heavy Industriesand Samsung Heavy Industrieswon orders worth about $470 million to build two vessels each, with capacity of 216,000 cubic metres, while Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineeringwas commissioned to build four 210,000-cubic-metre ships at a cost of about $875 million. All three contracts carry an option for an additional order of the same size within three-six months.

The Qatargas II gas will be sourced from two 7.8 million-t/y LNG trains to be built at Ras Laffan. Commercial bids were submitted on 7 November from the two prequalifed teams for the plant contract, which covers the construction of train 1 with train 2 as an option. The bidders are Japan's Chiyoda Corporation, with Paris-based Technip, and Japan's JGC Corporation, with US-based Halliburton KBR(MEED 30:4:04).

The integrated Qatargas II project is a 70:30 joint venture between Qatar Petroleumand the US' ExxonMobil, and calls for 15.6 million t/y of LNG to be delivered into the UK starting in late 2007.

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