Australian Pacific LNG moves closer to start up of $18bn Curtis Island LNG project in Queensland

Australian Pacific LNG has started loading refrigerants to its A$24.7bn ($18bn) Curtis Island LNG facility located near Gladstone in Queensland, as it prepares for start up of the project.

The facility will be loaded with two refrigerants, propane and ethylene, in the following weeks. The refrigerants will be used to cool the natural gas into liquid form at the facility.

Curtis Island LNG utilises Optimized Cascade process for the liquefaction. The technology is exclusively owned by US company ConocoPhillips.

Installation of safety control systems and commissioning of the ground flare has been done at the site before the arrival of the refrigerants.

Australia Pacific LNG CEO Page Maxson said: "The arrival of the refrigerants signifies a key step toward starting up the first LNG train.

"It enables us to meet the next milestones including test runs of the compressors, followed by final commissioning of remaining units of the first LNG train.

With the initial phase of development and infrastructure in the gas fields are nearly complete, the firm intends to start LNG exports from the facility in the second half of this year.

Phase I involves construction of two LNG processing trains.

Gas powered generators for the project has been scheduled to be operational from April 2016.

Besides ConocoPhillips, which owns a 37.5% stake, Australia Pacific LNG is also owned by Origin Energy (37.5%) and Sinopec (25%).

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Image:APLNG project in Curtis Island, Australia. Photo courtesy of © 2015 ConocoPhillips Company