24-05-2012

Yokogawa to receive control systems orders for Ichthys LNG project in Australia

Yokogawa Electric Corporation announces that its subsidiary Yokogawa Australia Pty. Ltd. has been advised that it will receive orders to supply the control systems for the Ichthys LNG project, which is being developed in Australia.

The Ichthys LNG Project is a joint venture between INPEX (76%, the operator) and Total (24%). Gas from the Ichthys Field, in the Browse Basin approximately 200 kilometres offshore of Western Australia, will undergo preliminary processing offshore to remove water and extract condensate*1. The gas will then be exported to onshore processing facilities in Darwin via an 889 km subsea pipeline. The Ichthys LNG Project is expected to produce 8.4 million tonnes of LNG and 1.6 million tonnes of LPG per annum, along with approximately 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak.

In 2009, Yokogawa was selected by the Ichthys joint venture to be the main automation contractor (MAC)*2 for this project.  In this role, Yokogawa commenced the master planning stage to carry out the control system front-end engineering and design (FEED) work. With the conclusion of this phase, the Ichthys joint venture has now given Yokogawa the go-ahead to supply the control systems for the Ichthys LNG Project. Yokogawa expects to receive formal orders from the engineering procurement construction (EPC) contractors that are building the LNG plant*3, Central Processing Facility (CPF) *4, and Floating Production Storage and Offtake (FPSO) vessel*5.  It is estimated that the total order will be the largest Yokogawa has ever received for a single project.

The products to be supplied by Yokogawa include CENTUM® series integrated production control systems, safety instrumented systems for detecting abnormal conditions and safely initiating emergency shutdowns, Exaquantum™ plant information management systems, PRM® integrated device management packages for monitoring and diagnosis of plant equipment, and OmegaLand operator training systems. Yokogawa will also handle the engineering, installation, and commissioning of these products and the training of operators.

One out of four gas liquefaction plants around the world use Yokogawa control systems (based on a company survey), and our systems are also used in 41 LNG receiving terminals and on 47 LNG carriers. Yokogawa takes its major responsibilities seriously and looks forward to getting started on the massive Ichthys LNG Project and to expanding its share of the LNG-related market.

*1 A fossil fuel that remains in a gaseous state while under the ground or at the sea bottom, but becomes a liquid when decompressed and cooled during the production phase.
*2 An arrangement whereby a control systems order is placed directly with a control system supplier to improve plant construction efficiency and reduce both costs and delivery time. The MAC usually participates in the project from an early stage, conducts the control system FEED work, and receives the control system orders upon project rollout.
*3 A plant that employs a cooling process to liquefy natural gas
*4 An offshore facility that drills for oil and gas. In this project, the CPF includes treatment units that will separate the raw natural gas into natural gas and condensate.
*5 An offshore facility for the processing, storage, and shipment of crude oil, gas, etc.