Wood Group, Technip wrap up Gorgon LNG work

Wood Group and Technip have recently completed 11 years of engineering and project management services on the Chevron-operated US$54 billion Gorgon LNG project in Australia.

The two companies formed the Gorgon Upstream Joint Venture (GUJV) back in 2005 to deliver front end engineering and design (FEED) services, and transitioned with the project to provide detailed engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for Gorgon’s upstream facilities.

The upstream facilities encompass infrastructure to connect the deepwater Jansz-Io and Gorgon fields to the giant LNG plant located on Barrow Island, a Class A reserve. This included more than 800km of onshore and offshore steel pipe and one of the largest subsea installations in the world, with the subsea structures and pipe weighing around 230,000 tonnes.

Throughout the project, GUJV has provided a Perth based multidisciplinary team to cover the wide variety of engineering and support services required to engineer and execute a word class project of this scale, Wood Group said in a statement on Wednesday.

At its peak the joint venture supplied over 300 people, with a focus and strong commitment to local resources and delivery from Perth, the company said.

The Gorgon LNG project shipped its first cargo of LNG on March 21 but was then forced to shut down due to a mechanical issue in the propane refrigerant circuit on Train 1.

The project shipped its delayed second cargo on July 3, shortly after a “minor” gas leak closed the terminal for the second time this year.

Chevron said on July 23 it resumed production at Gorgon following the restart of Train 1.

The U.S.-based energy giant expects first chilled gas from Train 2 early in the fourth quarter and from Train 3 in the second quarter of 2017.

The Gorgon LNG project is operated by Chevron that owns a 47.3 percent stake, while other shareholders are ExxonMobil (25 percent), Shell (25 percent), Osaka Gas (1.25 percent), Tokyo Gas (1 percent) and Chubu Electric Power (0.417 percent).

LNG World News Staff