ExxonMobil restarts production at PNG LNG, exports to resume soon

US energy giant ExxonMobil restarted production of liquefied natural gas at the PNG LNG facility following the earthquake that shook Papua New Guinea at the end of February, causing a shutdown. 

LNG production resumed ahead of schedule the operator said, adding that exports of liquefied natural gas are expected to resume soon.

One train is currently operating at the LNG plant near Port Moresby, while the second train is expected to restart as production is increased over time, ExxonMobil said.

During the period that production was shut-in, ExxonMobil was able to complete unrelated maintenance scheduled for later in the year to allow for more efficient operations in the months ahead.

Following its initial assessment, ExxonMobil said it would take up to eight weeks to repair and resume production at the facility.

Speaking of the resumption ahead of the projected eight-week timeframe, Neil Duffin, president of ExxonMobil Production Company, said it was a ‘significant achievement’.

According to the marine data provider, VesselsValue, two PNG LNG dedicated tankers, Kumul and Papua are both still sitting at anchor just off the plant’s site.

Kumul delivered a cargo earlier this month from BP’s Bontang LNG facility in Indonesia to keep the storage tanks at the PNG facility operational and ready for restart.

LNG World News Staff