ExxonMobil, BHP plan massive floating LNG project near Western Australia
By STEPHEN BELL
ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton are planning the world's biggest floating liquefied natural gas operation from their Scarborough field off the coast of Western Australia state, the West Australian newspaper reported Monday, without disclosing where it received the information.
The partners in the remote field are working on a floating production vessel capable of producing up to 7 million metric tpy of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, the report said.
That's nearly twice the size of Royal Dutch Shell's planned Prelude development off the coast of Western Australia, the paper said.
Project operator ExxonMobil may be days away from lodging documents with federal environmental authorities spelling out the scope of a Scarborough floating LNG development, it said.
The proposal could dash hopes that Woodside Petroleum might source Scarborough gas to underpin an eventual expansion of its onshore Pluto gas-export facility in Western Australia, the paper added.
Spokespeople for ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton weren't available for comment Monday.
ExxonMobil has indicated previously that floating LNG is an option for processing gas from the Scarborough field, located about 300 kilometers from the coastline.
Dow Jones Newswires
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