Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent
MELBOURNE, Apr. 22 -- Shell Australia is thinking of introducing a carbon dioxide capture and geosequestration (CCG) side to the proposed floating LNG (FLNG) development at its wholly owned Prelude gas find in the Browse basin off Western Australia.
According to documents lodged with environmental regulators in Australia, the company is planning to build a 3.5 million tonne/year FLNG for the field which lies 450 km northeast of Broome.
Shell says in the application document that the project has potential for CO2 sequestration, thereby reducing its carbon footprint.
The CCG move comes in the wake of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's federal government plans to introduce a carbon trading scheme by 2010 as part of its goal to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
If successful, the FLNG proposal at Prelude could be a catalyst for development of other 'stranded' gas in Australia and elsewhere. The Prelude plant proposal is for a vessel 480 m long and 70-80 m wide and designed to survive a once-in-10,000 years cyclone. It would be built outside Australia and towed directly to the field location, where it would then be anchored to the seabed.
Preliminary estimates indicate that Prelude field has a reserve of 2-3 tcf of gas. Shell has indicated an ambitious on-stream date of 2012 and expects the plant to run for 25 years.
