Concurrent 17. Oral Presentation for: Tiny trains – new hope? Or the same issues in a smaller box?
John Carr A *A Turner & Townsend Pty Ltd, Brisbane, Qld., Australia.
The APPEA Journal 63 - https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ22361
Published: 2 June 2023
Abstract
Presented on Wednesday 17 May: Session 17
The report card from Australia’s decade-long liquefied natural gas (LNG) construction boom makes for sobering reading. From 2009 to 2019, there were 15 new trains turned on, which lifted LNG production to a record 77 million tonnes in 2019. They are clearly big plants, with big production trains and with big capital expenditure to match. But the plants seemed to come with big problems. Not just in construction, but sometimes in production too. Now times have changed. Advances in technology, together with new market dynamics, have sparked new interest in small trains. A number of projects in the USA are now being proposed with multiple smaller units rather than the big trains that have dominated the last decade. For Australian owners and operators a new questions emerges. Do these ‘tiny trains’ represent a new step on the journey to a more efficient and effective commercialisation of region gas? Or will the new trains deliver the same issues, just in a smaller box? This paper provides: lessons learned from the Australian LNG boom between 2009 and 2019, an overview of the new ‘small train’ technologies including real world examples, a discussion of the risks and benefits of this approach, a case study from US owners/operators and discussion of where this approach might suit the needs of Australian LNG. The paper will appeal to oil and gas producers, major contractors and service providers.
To access the Oral Presentation click the link on the right. To read the full paper click here
Keywords: Australian LNG, decarbonisation, Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG, LNG investment, LNG technology, LNG trains.
John Carr is a highly accomplished, value-focused, and versatile Associate Director who has acquired over 20 years of experience in energy, infrastructure and resource sectors, specialising in project development, access and approvals, feasibility, and execution. He has delivered significant development projects and has capability in origination, commercial negotiation, due diligence and feasibility, where he brought projects to financial closure/final investment decision. He led numerous cross-functional teams and worked across all planning, permits, approval for land tenure, native title, environmental (and others) regulatory approval with both states and commonwealth agencies. He managed multi-disciplinary engineering teams during feasibility front-end design (FEED) and detailed design. He managed transaction and execution of complex collaborative, target cost EPC contracts (up to value of $550 million) in capital-intensive, highly regulated, and complex infrastructure for major asset owner and operators. John’s experience in federally funded Mega projects has given him the skills to navigate complex political, landholder and environmental stakeholders’ whist ensuring project programs and budgets are maintained. His experience in privately funded mega project development has given him the ability to efficiently move technically complex energy projects through a structured stage gate process to allow for effective financial closing and successful execution. He has lead multi-disciplinary Mega project teams for delivery of major renewable development, energy, gas and complex civil infrastructure projects, and is a strong supporter of a sustainable energy transition. |
