RasGas will start up the first 700mn cfd train of its $10.3bn Barzan gas project in the second quarter of 2014, and the second train by year-end, Ahmad Tayeeb, RasGas head of Business and Optimization, said at the Gastech conference in London on 8-11 October. The construction work includes facilities for a third 700mn cfd train, which could be built at a later date, he said. The site also includes space for three more trains, Mr Tayeeb tells MEES, but their size and whether they will be built depends on market demand and Barzan’s shareholders – state-owned Qatar Petroleum (QP) 93%, ExxonMobil 7%. Barzan is developed and operated by RasGas (QP 70%, ExxonMobil 30%).
The project’s 1.4bn cfd of methane will go to Qatar’s power plants, 6,000 tons/day of ethane to the petrochemical industry and the field condensate to Ras Laffan condensate splitters. Its plant condensate and LPG are for export. RasGas does not publish NGL figures for Barzan, which are marketed by state-owned Tasweeq. RasGas’ 1.25bn cfd al-Khaleej gas project currently meets 65% of Qatar’s domestic demand and supplies the Oryx gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant with feedstock. (CONTINUED - 823 WORDS)
