Qatar Petroleum has ordered 12 main refrigerant compressors (MRC) from Baker Hughes Co. for use in the LNG production segment of Qatar Petroleum’s North Field East (NFE) project, being executed by Qatargas. The MRC will be used as part of four LNG trains adding 33 million tonnes/year (tpy) of liquefaction capacity, increasing Qatar’s total LNG production capacity to 110 million tpy.
Each MRC train will consist of three Frame 9E DLN Ultra Low NOx gas turbines and six centrifugal compressors for a total scope of supply of 12 gas turbines to drive 24 centrifugal compressors. Packaging, manufacturing, and testing of the gas turbine-compressor trains will take place at Baker Hughes’ plants in Florence and Massa, Italy.
Qatar Petroleum expects to produce first gas from NFE by end 2025. The second phase of the North Field LNG expansion project, North Field South, will further increase Qatar’s LNG production capacity to 126 million tpy.
The company began development drilling for NFE earlier this year, spudding the first of 80 development wells from eight wellhead platforms (OGJ Online, Apr. 15, 2020).