Qatar�s RasGas II awards contracts for on and offshore LNG facilities
By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, Apr. 2�Qatar�s Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Co. II (RasGas II) and a joint venture has signed an engineering, procurement, and construction contract to build an LNG train and related onshore facilities at the RasGas plant, OPECNA news services reported Monday.
The joint venture consists of two Japanese companies, Chiyoda Corp. and Mitsui & Co. Ltd., along with Snamprogetti, the engineering and main contracting arm of Eni SPA.
In addition, RasGas and J. Ray McDermott Middle East (Indian Ocean) Ltd. signed a separate engineering, procurement, and construction contract to build the offshore facilities and a 90-km pipeline.
The project consists of offshore production, transportation, and liquefaction facilities to produce 4.7 million tonnes/year for Petronet LNG Ltd. of India under an existing sale and purchase agreement.
RasGas II is a joint venture formed last month by Qatar General Petroleum Inc., which holds 70%, and Mobil QM Gas Inc. (an ExxonMobil Corp. affiliate), which has 30% interest. Qatar officials have said Petronet later could obtain 5% of RasGas II.
Yousef Kamal, RasGas chairman and Qatar�s Minister of Finance, Economy, and Trade, said, �We are certain this deal will serve as a model for future LNG deals in India and other emerging markets.�
The sale and purchase agreement involves deliveries of 5 million tonnes/year to a planned import terminal at Dahej, Guhjarat, and another 2.5 million tonnes/year to a planned import terminal of Cochin, Kerala.
Deliveries to Dahaj are slated to begin in late 2003 using existing LNG trains at the RasGas plant until the RasGas II train is completed. Work has already started on the new train with production slated to begin in 2004.
RasGas II is an offshoot of Qatar�s RasGas Co., established in 1993. The parent company is owned by Qatar Petroleum with 65 % and ExxonMobil with 25%. Various Japanese and South Korean companies hold the rest.
