PNG LNG consortium completes onshore gas pipeline

March 14, 2014
The ExxonMobil Corp.-led Papua New Guinea LNG (PNG LNG) consortium has completed the 292-km onshore section of the project’s gas pipeline from the Hides conditioning plant 2,100 m above sea level in the Southern Highlands to the coast via the Kutubu development.

The ExxonMobil Corp.-led Papua New Guinea LNG (PNG LNG) consortium has completed the 292-km onshore section of the project’s gas pipeline from the Hides conditioning plant 2,100 m above sea level in the Southern Highlands to the coast via the Kutubu development.

The 32-34-in. line connects with the 407 km offshore section at the mouth of the Omati River that continues on to the new LNG plant near Port Moresby.

ExxonMobil expects that in excess of 250 billion cu m of gas will be transported through the line during the life of the project.

The onshore section took 4 years to build in remote high-rainfall areas through steep terrain and swampland. It has been routed around critical wildlife habitat and cultural areas like sacred and archaeological sites and has endeavoured to minimise the environmental footprint throughout.

Native vegetation has been replanted along the pipeline corridor.

The $19 billion PNG LNG project is now expected to be brought on stream in July, several months ahead of the earlier publicized schedule.

First LNG cargo will be taken by Chinese company Sinopec at its Qingdao receiving terminal in northeast China.

Sinopec has a long-term contract with ExxonMobil to purchase PNG LNG from the 6.6-million tonne/year project.