ABB to supply equipment for LNG expansion

ABB has been awarded almost $30 million in contracts to supply equipment to the next phase of Woodside's LNG expansion project which will be similar in size and production capacity to the fourth train which was commissioned in 2004.

"ABB's success in securing these contracts was two fold" explains Steve Hollyoak, ABB's major projects manager. "The success was primarily due to our involvement in the Train IV project which was commissioned in 2004, and our willingness to work closely with Woodside's engineering, procurement and construction management contractor, Foster Wheeler Worley Parsons. The LNG Train V expansion is largely based on the fourth LNG Train and Woodside were satisfied with ABB's experience and expertise demonstrated in the past."

ABB's scope of supply includes 415v switchgear and tie ins, power and distribution transformers, a packaged substation, Is limiters, 6.6kV switchgear and tie ins, 33kV switchgear, analysers and houses and LCI compressor drives.

In June 2005, the Woodside-operated North West Shelf Venture decided to build the fifth LNG processing train on the Burrup Peninsula near Karratha in Western Australia. The fifth train is the major component of the proposed LNG Phase V expansion project, which also includes a second LNG berth and related infrastructure.

When completed, the fifth train will boost total production capacity of the plant to 16.3 million tonnes a year. The fifth train will be built near existing plant and take Woodside's investment in North West Shelf Venture facilities to more than A$16 billion. First cargoes of LNG from Train V are anticipated by the fourth quarter of 2008.