Shell is the operator of the WA-371-P permit containing the Prelude and Concerto fields, which would be developed sequentially. While pending a final investment decision scheduled for early 2011, the Prelude FLNG Project is now in the front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase of development.
Shell Executive Vice President of Australia Upstream International Jon Chadwick said “This project will produce LNG, condensate and liquefied petroleum gas during its 20-plus years of operation.”?
Shell is currently working on the environmental and production approvals for Prelude FLNG, and has released a draft Environmental Impact Statement for public comment.
The project is expected to be the first to incorporate FLNG technology in Australia, and will comprise of upstream facilities including wells, four flowlines approximately 4 km in length, umbilicals and flexible risers, as well as the FLNG facility. The plant will include liquefaction units, production storage and loading facilities, associated utility systems and a control room, maintenance facilities and accommodation.
Onshore support facilities will potentially be located within established industrial areas either in Broome, Western Australia, or Darwin, Northern Territory, subject to state and territory government approvals.
The FLNG facility will stay for 25 years over the Prelude Gas Field, which will be designed to produce up to 3.6 MMt/a of LNG, 0.4 MMt/a of LPG and 1.3 MMt/a of gas condensate during that time. Shell said that the production rate may be backfilled in later years with gas sourced from the nearby Concerto, Crux and Libra fields.