LNG

Leading Asia-Pacific LNG operator Chevron Corp., along with French industrial gas company Air Liquide, Singapore’s Keppel Infrastructure and Chinese energy major PetroChina have signed an accord to form a consortium to advance the development of large-scale carbon-capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) solutions.

The consortium intends to research, test, and develop technological, logistical, and operational solutions for CCUS in Singapore.

“In doing so, the consortium will look to provide industry-wide CCUS integrated infrastructure, primarily to support the energy and chemicals sector, by capturing and aggregating carbon dioxide (CO2) from large industrial emitters at a centralized collection facility,” they explained.

The CO2 could then be utilized to make useful products, such as plastics, fuels, and cement, and/or transported through either pipelines or ships to suitable reservoirs in the Asia-Pacific region for sequestration via a process of injecting CO2 into deep underground geologic formations.

Chris Powers, vice president, for CCUS at Chevron New Energies, said the operator of the Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG projects in Australia believed in the future of energy was lower carbon.

Advancing technologies

“We are committed to advancing technologies and forming strategic relationships to make it happen,” added Powers.

“We look forward to working with like-minded collaborators to progress and advance the development of large-scale CCUS solutions in the Asia-Pacific region for decades to come,” he stated.

Michele Gritti, vice president for Large Industries and Energy Transition at Air Liquide SEA Cluster, said the company supported the decarbonization of industry to help address the urgency of climate change.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Keppel Infrastructure, Chevron, and PetroChina in this decarbonization endeavour, leveraging our expertise and experience in carbon capture, purification, and liquefaction to build a comprehensive carbon-capture decarbonization solution,” added Gritti.

Chua Yong Hwee, executive director (New Energy) at Keppel Infrastructure, said that hard-to-abate sectors needed to leverage technology and innovation to transit towards reduced CO2.

Singapore environment

“Keppel Infrastructure is well-positioned to support efforts to decarbonize key sectors, given our experience as a leading developer, technology solutions provider and operator of energy and environmental infrastructure in Singapore and the region,” he declared.

Li Shaolin, managing director of PetroChina International (Singapore), said there were various pathways to decarbonization, and CCUS has been identified as a strategic pathway to be thoroughly evaluated and developed.

“PetroChina is pleased to be part of this consortium with Air Liquide, Keppel Infrastructure and Chevron; a partnership that will leverage one another’s strengths, capabilities and respective ecosystems towards the advancement of large-scale CCUS solutions in Singapore,” added Li.

Air Liquide Singapore, a fully-owned subsidiary of Air Liquide Group, now has a workforce of close to 800 employees.

Keppel Infrastructure (KI) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Corp., the Singaporean flagship multinational company providing solutions for sustainable urbanisation. 

Keppel Corp. of Singapore completed its first liquefied natural gas import shipment from the US under the city-state’s import policy allowing wholesale gas customers to receive up to 10 percent of their annual long-term contracted LNG volumes on a spot cargo basis.

Keppel said the 160,000 cubic metres spot cargo reached the Jurong Island terminal on April 10 and would be regasified as feedstock for downstream customers and end-users during the next 30 days.

The company’s Keppel Gas natural gas supply customers include long-term pipeline and LNG contracts holders.

“Such recurring spot LNG import opportunities help to bolster Keppel’s supply portfolio, complementing its long-term pipeline gas import business,” said the company.

The General Manager of Keppel Infrastructure, Janice Bong, said the delivery was part of the company’s strategy of widening its presence in the gas value chain to deliver competitive gas supplies promptly.

“By tapping the opportunities offered by the spot LNG market, we are able to ride on global trends to support our integrated energy business over the long term,” she explained.

Keppel Gas is an importer, shipper and retailer of natural gas in Singapore's liberalized gas market.

The imported natural gas is supplied to a portfolio of major refineries, petrochemical companies, industrial companies and Keppel Merlimau Cogen, a 1,300 megawatt combined-cycle gas power station.

Singapore LNG Corp., operator of the import terminal, is also widening its activities and in February 2019 completed modifications to its secondary jetty on Jurong Island.

SLNG said its terminal can now handle small-scale vessels with capacities of between 2,000 cubic metres and 10,000 cubic metres and the ships were able to receive and reload shipments.

The modifications include the installation of a new marine loading arm and gangway, as well as new facilities for securing smaller ships at the jetty.

SLNG is additionally considering building a fifth storage tank after its fourth tank was put in service in 2018 and has an even larger capacity than the other three at 260,000 cubic metres, offering LNG traders more options and flexibility.

The SLNG facility’s three other storage tanks each have a capacity of 188,000 cubic metres and 540,000 cubic metres in total.

The terminal is owned by the Singapore Energy Authority and is located on a 40-hectare plot at the southern tip of Jurong Island.

It has been in operation since 2013 and can handle the largest LNG carriers from Qatar. 

The fifth tank will have storage of either 188,000 cubic metres or 260,000 cubic metres and SLNG has issued an expressions of interest notice to customers.

Preferred usage terms for the fifth tank are of at least 15 years starting by around 2022.