ZURICH, Switzerland — ABB has won a five-year contract to deliver equipment and services for Shell’s Prelude FLNG, the world’s first floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility, the largest floating facility ever built. ABB’s equipment will minimize downtime and optimize the efficiency of the facility.
The order includes the delivery of motors, generators, variable speed drives and low-voltage switchgear and guarantees service and lifecycle management of the electrical equipment as well as service and support for motors from third-party vendors.
ABB will build up a spare parts inventory, workshop repairs, training and provide round-the-clock technical support both over the phone and on-site. Spare parts and replacement systems are being procured this year, with training to begin soon after. Prelude is 488 meters long, 74 meters wide, with a loaded displacement of 600,000 tons with the facility’s deck longer than 4 football fields laid end to end.
Once towed to its location off the northwest coast of Australia, it will be attached to the underwater infrastructure in the Browse basin. It is scheduled to remain there for up to 25 years without uncoupling for overhaul, or to take shelter from cyclones.
“A reliable service network is crucial for the facility’s productivity. Prelude will be equipped with ABB’s integrated marine solutions for optimal reliability, flexibility and energy efficiency to assure higher profitability,” said Pekka Tiitinen, president of ABB’s Discrete Automation and Motion division. “In line with our Next Level strategy of business-led collaboration various ABB businesses will work together to mobilize the strength and experience of our entire global service organization.”
The electrical system will power 14 gas plant modules, allowing the facility to produce 5.3 million tons per annum of liquids. The agility of FLNG allows oil and gas companies to develop fields that would otherwise be uneconomical and their environmental impact is minimal compared with conventional production platforms and pipelines.
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