Santos says its $US18.5 billion Gladstone LNG project will produce first gas around the end of the third quarter this year.
The company revealed GLNG is nearly 95 per cent complete with the construction of all major gas field processing facilities finished, as well as its 420-kilometre pipeline, including a 4.3km undersea pipeline tunnel.
The project, located on Curtis Island in Queensland, has been in construction for close to four years.
There are three LNG plants on the island, with BG Group’s Queensland Curtis LNG plant exporting first gas earlier this year.
Origin Energy’s Australia Pacific LNG project is set to deliver first LNG in mid-2015.
Santos managing director David Knox told The Australian the company was pleased to announce a firm start-up date.
“With these mega projects it looks like a massive mountain to climb and then, all of a sudden, you start to see the top,” Knox said.
“That’s what’s happening. The clouds are clearing, we can see the top and we know we are going to make it in good shape within the budget we set.
“The project has continued to go from strength to strength and we have made significant progress on the ground in both 2014 and in the first quarter of this year.
“The delivery of GLNG will consolidate our strategic LNG portfolio and further position us as a key player in the growing Asian gas market.”
Santos Vice President Downstream GLNG, Rod Duke, added:
“It has been a fantastic year of progress at GLNG with recent milestones including the introduction of first gas into the LNG plant and the successful firing of the first two gas turbine generators.”