Kitimat, BC: International engineering firm Black & Veatch announced August 17 that it has begun front-end engineering design (FEED) for a new, liquefied natural gas export facility that will be constructed on a barge and transported to the Douglas Channel near Kitimat Village, British Columbia. The facility will liquefy natural gas for transport to Asian markets.
“We are looking to build the majority of the LNG export facility on a standard Panamax barge to minimize the physical and environmental impact in this scenic area,” said Tom Tatham, Managing Director, Douglas Channel Gas Services Ltd. “Black & Veatch’s PRICO process is ideal for this type of application because of its smaller footprint and flexible operations.”
The project is owned by HN DC LNG Limited Partnership (Haisla Nation), LNG Partners, LLC and Douglas Channel Gas Services Ltd. It will be the first barge-mounted export facility serving the Pacific Basin, as well as the first for exporting Canadian natural gas. The facility’s location takes advantage of North America’s northernmost, ice-free port and provides more direct delivery routes to Asian markets. The project also benefits from existing infrastructure such as a nearby natural gas pipeline and local hydroelectric power.
Black & Veatch’s FEED work for the facility, which will produce more than 800,000 tons per year of LNG, will be completed in January 2012. The FEED will provide a definitive estimate to be used in finalizing a lump sum, turnkey contract between the parties for the engineering, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning of the facility.