Energy company Renergen has commissioned South Africa’s first commercial liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquid helium plant. “We are set to become a significant global producer of helium, introducing South Africa as the eighth country in the world to export the very rare commodity and the only one from Africa,” said Renergen CEO Stefano Marani. The Virginia Gas Project, named after its location near the Free State town, is expected to be operational by 2021, tapping into 148 billion cubic feet of gas and 3.4 Bcf of helium. According to Marani, the goal is to produce up to 2700 gigaJoules of liquid natural gas and 350 kilogrammes of liquid helium daily. “This will make the plant the first commercial LNG facility in the country,” he said. “The gas fields are situated in an energyscarce area, with high customer density and limited competition. The natural gas resource contains one of the richest helium concentrations recorded globally.” The first phase of the project involves developing 12 existing wells, in addition to some new wells. It will also see the construction of 50km of underground pipelines and a processing facility. According to Marani the company holds the first and only onshore petroleum production right in South Africa, a process that took nearly 12 years. He said the project was being developed on the back of proven reserves. With the US already declaring in 2017 that they had run out of helium, several large projects in other regions delayed, and the largest current heliumproducing field going offline in 2023, this find will establish South Africa as a global player. Marani said the world was in dire need of helium which was fast becoming a very scarce commodity. The Virginia Gas Project was a “game-changer” for South Africa, making it a global frontrunner in the helium sector. Helium was used in a variety of ways – including to cool superconducting magnets in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, in airships, deepsea diving and for specialised welding, he said. South Africa-based Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) Bonisana and the Western Shell Cryogenic Equipment Company of China had been awarded the contracts for construction and the supply of technology and equipment for the LNG and helium plant, said Marani.
Deadline set for first LNG plant
22 Nov 2019 - by Liesl Venter
0 Comments
FTW 22 November 2019
22 Nov 2019
22 Nov 2019
22 Nov 2019
22 Nov 2019
22 Nov 2019
22 Nov 2019
22 Nov 2019
22 Nov 2019