Trinidad and Tobago gas processing plant expansion starts up

Phoenix Park Gas Processors Ltd. has completed a major expansion of its gas processing plant at Point Lisas, Trinidad and Tobago, shown here during the expansion. The project doubled the capacity of the plant. Photo courtesy of Phoenix Park partner Conoco Inc.

Phoenix Park Gas Processors Ltd. has completed a $155 million expansion of its gas processing plant at Point Lisas, Trinidad and Tobago.

The project has doubled the plant's capacities for processing natural gas and for producing, storing, and exporting natural gas liquids. Gas input capacity is now 1.35 bcfd, and NGL output capacity is 33,500 b/d. As part of the expansion, NGL storage capacity was nearly doubled to 750,000 bbl, and a second port for exporting NGL was added-this one a deepwater terminal.

The expansion makes the complex one of the Western Hemisphere's largest gas processing plants, says Conoco Inc., a partner in the Phoenix Park group.

The plant is owned by National Gas Co. of Trinidad & Tobago (NGC) 51%, Conoco 39%, and Pan West Engineers & Constructors 10%.

Product disposition

The Phoenix Park gas processing plant is the only source for the natural gas consumed in Trinidad. Most of the gas is used as feedstock for producers of ammonia and methanol, although some is used as fuel for power generation.

NGLs produced at the plant are exported to the eastern Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Natural gasoline is exported to the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and to Canada.

The Phoenix Park plant will process and market NGL from the new liquefied natural gas complex developed at Point Fortin, Trinidad, by Atlantic LNG Co., in which NGC is a shareholder. The LNG plant started up this month (see story, this page).

The Phoenix Park expansion work was completed in only 14 months, said Conoco. In fact, construction of the Phoenix Park plant was completed 4 months ahead of schedule in order to enable it to take NGL from Atlantic LNG as soon as the liquefaction unit begins operation.

"The extra NGL will add to Trinidad's export earnings and help our Eastern Caribbean and Central American neighbors by increasing their supply of clean-burning fuels," said C.B. Ramberansingh, an NGC director and chairman of Phoenix Park Gas Processors. "The expansion also fits well with our near-term vision of developing an ethylene project to further advance Trinidad's chemical commodities industry," he added.

The project also furthers the partners' plan to improve efficiency at Phoenix Park. Operating costs at the complex have been reduced by more than 50% in the past 2 years, says Paul Warwick, Phoenix Park's managing director and president of Conoco Trinidad. "Our goal is to further reduce costs per barrel, and our expertise and new generation of processing and fractionation equipment will help us get there."

Phoenix Park was the first project in Trinidad to directly tap U.S. capital markets, says Conoco. A total of $110 million in financing was secured last year through a bond issue.