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Shell to build floating rigs to access remote fields
08.10.09
Shell is developing technology to unlock stranded gas fields which are difficult to gain access to and are miles offshore.
The oil major is to take liquefied natural gas technology to the next level by building a floating LNG production plant at sea.
The initial proving ground is to be the gas-rich undersea fields off the coast of West Australia which Shell is already exploiting.
Some of those fields have been deemed uncommercial for LNG production because of their location and the expense of building a pipeline to shore from where the LNG can be exported by vessel to gas-hungry Japan, China and the countries in the West.
“Floating liquefied natural gas technology has the potential to unlock some of Australia's stranded gas reserves which have previously been considered uneconomic to develop because of their small size or distance from shore,” said Malcolm Brinded, Shell's exploration chief.
Shell is already the world's largest LNG producer and its plans put it ahead of rivals including the French giant GDF Suez and the Norwegian gas firms.
