Shell Australia confirmed that its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility has arrived in Australian waters. Prelude is the first deployment of Shell’s FLNG technology, that will see a 488 metre long floating facility extracting and liquefying gas at sea, before it is exported around the globe.
The project is located approximately 475km north-north east of Broome in Western Australia. Prelude FLNG started its journey to Australia from the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje, South Korea, on late June.
Shell Australia Chairman Zoe Yujnovich said the arrival of the Prelude FLNG facility signaled a new era for the Australian LNG export industry, with the first floating liquefaction facility deployed in local waters.
Ms Yujnovich also said Shell had awarded a majority of Prelude contracts to Australian contractors, including the contract awarded to Australian engineering company Monadelphous for maintenance and modification services valued at $200 million.
“To develop and maintain a safe, high performance culture on the facility, Shell has partnered with South Metropolitan TAFE in Western Australia to develop specific training for Prelude technicians”, Mr Yujnovich informed.
The Prelude project will employ 260 local workers on board the facility during operations and create over a 1500 jobs during the hook-up and commissioning phase of the project. Shell expects to see cashflow from the project during 2018.
