Asset Guardian Solutions (AGSL), which specialises in critical control software asset protection for the process and manufacturing industry, announced that it has been awarded another contract in Australia, this time by the INPEX Corporation.
Last year, AGSL secured a deal with Woodside, Australia’s leading oil and gas producer, and one of the world’s largest suppliers of liquefied natural gas.
INPEX is the operator of the US$34 billion Ichthys LNG Project that aims to develop the gas and condensate field discovered by the company in the Browse Basin offshore northwest Western Australia. The field is the largest discovery of hydrocarbon liquids in Australia in 40 years. Once completed, it is expected to produce 8.4 million tons of LNG and 1.6 million tons of liquefied petroleum gas annually.
Enhancing integrity
INPEX appointed AGSL to provide a customised Engineering IT Asset Management tool set to enhance management and security of the critical software that INPEX uses to operate key Ichthys Project infrastructure, including the LNG plant, central processing facility and floating production, storage and offtake vessel. More specifically, the custom tool set provides a system that offers comprehensive inventory management. This is achieved by recording all Automation System IT components, using the Asset Guardian “Management of Change” process to update the firmware Operating System and Application software, and maintaining an up-to-the minute audit trail of all changes by INPEX staff to their process control hardware and software assets.
By using the Asset Guardian solution, INPEX will not have to use numerous software applications for individual assets and tasks. Instead, INPEX will use a single system for all information. As a result, in the event of technical problems, recovery of programmable systems is much faster. In addition, the custom tool set integrates seamlessly with other INPEX systems, generates regulatory compliance reports, and manages the process for making changes to system code, enabling compliance with industry standards, regulations and guidelines.
With a string of contract awards from oil and gas operators and service companies in Australia, the UK and Africa during the past two years, AGSL is making impressive inroads into this dynamic global industry.
“We look forward to working with INPEX to ensure that the Ichthys LNG Project assets are secure, and that the company draws the greatest benefits from the Asset Guardian solution so that all future operations carried out as part of the Project are handled with the greatest care and vigilance,” said Sam McKay, Chief Executive of AGSL.
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LNG World News Staff, November 29, 2013; Image: Inpex