British oil and gas company bp announced Thursday that the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced by the expanded Tangguh LNG facility in Indonesia has set sail for delivery to Indonesia's state-owned power generator, PT PLN (Persero).
The transfer of LNG generated in the new third liquefaction train at the Tangguh LNG facility in Papua Barat marks the start of the new facility's full commercial operation.
The start-up of Tangguh Train 3 is expected to add 3.8 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG production capacity to the existing two-train facility, bringing total plant capacity to 11.4 mtpa.
'With its expanded production capacity, the Tangguh facility will play a vital role in helping to meet Indonesia's growing energy demand, total gas production at Tangguh is expected to account for over a third of national gas production,' Dwi Soetjipto, chairman of SKK Migas, Indonesia's oil and gas regulatory agency, said.
'Tangguh is the largest LNG producer in Indonesia and the production from Tangguh's three-train operation will significantly contribute to the national gas production target of 12 billion standard cubic feet per day by 2030,' Soetjipto said.
The addition of the third train will further enhance the comprehensive community development programs that it has developed since the beginning of its operations in 2009 by contributing a portion of the gas committed for electrification in Papua Barat. The project aims to continue to increase the proportion of Papuans in Tangguh's workforce from the current 73% to meet its commitment of 85% by 2029.
The Tangguh expansion is the third major project start-up for bp globally in 2023, following the start of production from the Mad Dog II project, which includes the development of the southern and southwestern extensions of the Mad Dog Field in the US Gulf of Mexico.
The project started production at the offshore Argos facility, increasing bp’s gross operated production capacity in the Gulf of Mexico by nearly 20%.
Furthermore, bp started operations this year in the MJ field, a high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) gas and condensate field off the east coast of India.
The field will produce from eight wells and reach a peak gas production of around 12 million metric standard cubic meters per day of gas as well as 25,000 barrels of condensate per day.
By Duygu Alhan
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr