Esso Australia completes Longford gas conditioning plant

ExxonMobil Corp. affiliate Esso Australia Resources Pty. Ltd., Melbourne, has completed construction and is in the final stages of commissioning of its Longford gas conditioning plant, 19 km south of Sale in southeastern Victoria.

Startup of the $1-billion (Aus.) gas conditioning plant, which is designed to process gas from Kipper, Tuna, and Turrum fields in Bass Strait of southeast Australia, also marks completion of the $5.5-billion (Aus.) Kipper-Tuna-Turrum project, the largest domestic gas development on Australia’s eastern seaboard, Esso Australia said.

The gas conditioning plant will help maintain current gas supply levels from Bass Strait and ensure continued supply of gas to the Australia’s east-coast market, said Richard Owen, chairman of Esso Australia.

The new gas plant comes as part of Esso Australia’s ongoing investment in its 50-50 Gippsland basin joint venture with BHP Billiton Petroleum (Bass Strait) Pty Ltd., which to date has produced more than half of all of Australia’s crude oil and hydrocarbon liquids.

The Kipper-Tuna-Turrum develop will supply 1.6 tcf of gas to eastern Australia, the Gippsland basin combine said.

Participants in the Kipper group include operator Esso Australia 32.5%, BHP Billiton Petroleum 32.5%, and Mitsui E&P Australia Pty. Ltd. 35%.

CB&I, Houston, provided engineering, procurement, fabrication, and construction of the 400-MMcfd Longford gas conditioning plant (OGJ Online, Jan. 8, 2013).