FLOATING liquefied natural gas (FLNG) technology can be applicable in Brunei, but the success of the technology depends on where the resources are found, a senior executive at Royal Dutch Shell said.
The FLNG is a "game-changer for the energy industry", said Malcolm Brinded, an executive director (upstream international) at Royal Dutch Shell, in an interview published in The Oil & Gas Year (TOGY) Brunei 2012 report released earlier this month.
"If the gas is located from the shore and there is also enough supply from other fields to be able to keep the existing LNG full plant, then there may be a case for floating LNG to tap and develop such deepwater gas discoveries," he said.
"FLNG is a game-changer for the energy industry, and that is why we went ahead with the technology in Australia for the Prelude FLNG project," he added.
According to the report, FLNG essentially offers two main advantages firstly, it can be built with the cost efficiency and quality of a Korean shipyard in mind.
Secondly, it can accelerate the development of fields in because it can be installed before there is certainty as to the full extend of the size of the discovery.
As opposed to a conventional LNG plant, it is not necessary to have at least 20 to 30 years gas supply.
"With FLNG, if you find that you only have 12-15 years of gas, you can move it on to another location."
However, Brinded said the first priority for Brunei will be to continue finding more gas in order to keep the existing BLNG plant full and exporting product for many years to come.
Brinded, in the same article titled "Shell be right", expressed belief that similar to Shell, Brunei has traditionally been an "energy pioneer."
It began operating one of the world's first large-scale LNG facilities in 1972 and the project currently plays a large role by supplying seven million tonnes per annum to Japanese and Korean markets, underpinning the energy security of both countries, he said.
"Brunei has been a very reliable supplier of gas to Asian countries and there is plenty of opportunities for that to again be extended for decades to come," said the executive director.
"It will depend on successful future exploration, but the prospects look good."
Brinded said natural gas will not just be a reliable and abundant fuel for Asia's remarkable economic growth but being the cleanest fossil fuel, but it is also capable of cushioning the environmental impact of the region's rising energy consumption.
This, he added, is evident in ASEAN countries, where gas-fired power met half of new electricity demand between 2000 and 2009.
The fastest and cheapest route to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the global energy industry over the next 20 years is by displacing coal-fired power with natural gas, Brinded said. Fitri Shahminan
Dipetik dari - The Brunei Times
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