Rolls Royce readies compressors for delivery to PetroChina's West-East pipeline

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, Feb. 9 -- PetroChina Co. Ltd. can expect delivery next month of the first two compressor packages for its $8.5 billion West-East natural gas pipeline project (WEPP)—one of the largest projects currently under way in China (OGJ three-part series, starting Mar. 17, 2003, p. 68).

Rolls-Royce PLC, London, has a $150 million contract to provide gas compression equipment to 10 compressor stations along the Western portion of the 3,900 km, 1,016 mm natural gas pipeline. It will install two gas turbine packages at six compression stations and motor-drive sets at the remaining four. The project also includes 18 distribution stations along the downstream trunkline.

When completed, WEPP will extend from the gas-rich Tarim basin in the West Gobi desert in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of far western China to Shanghai and other markets in eastern China. Current estimates are that there is a 20 year supply of gas in the Tarim basin. The pipeline is designed to carry 1.2 bcfd of natural gas.

Pipeline construction began in late 2002 and is scheduled for completion this year.

Rolls-Royce will provide a dozen RB211-powered 6562 gas turbine packages, driving Rolls-Royce RFBB36 centrifugal pipeline compressors. It also will supply eight motor-driven RFBB36 compression sets and related controls for each of the compression units. All units will be packaged at Rolls-Royce facilities at Mount Vernon, Ohio.

Rolls-Royce also recently announced that it had won a $107 million order for six industrial Trent gas turbine compressor sets, for the Dolphin Energy Ltd. subsea gas pipeline from Qatar to the UAE.