Name and Location
Browse liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, Australia.

Client
Woodside Energy and joint venture partners Royal Dutch Shell plc, BP plc, BHP Billiton and Japan Australia LNG.

Project Description
The Browse gasfields include the Torosa, Brecknock and Calliance discoveries, which are estimated to contain a combined contingent resource of about 13.3-trillion cubic feet of dry gas and 360-million barrels of condensate.

The development concept includes three tension-leg floating gas and liquids platforms (one per field), a central processing facility in shallower water, onshore LNG and condensate production and export facilities capable of processing 12-million tonnes a year of LNG.

The scope of the development includes:
• an initial development, based on the Brecknock and Calliance fields, followed by the phased development of Torosa;
• three deep-water tension-leg platforms, with liquids separation, connected to subsea manifolds;
• twelve wells at start-up – eight at Calliance and four at Brecknock – with full field development of about 50 wells;
• separate liquids and gas lines from deep-water facilities to the central processing facility;
• a central gas processing and compression facility (CPF) in shallower water (100 m), which would be a bridge-linked, two-platform design – one for accommodation and utilities, the other for processing;
• 900 km of interfield and infield pipelines;
• an estimated 315 km of 4 inch export pipeline from the CPF to shore;
• three onshore processing trains, with a 12-million-tonnes-a-year LNG production capacity;
• LNG storage of 280 000 m³ and 300 000 m³ condensate storage;
• an integrated marine facility for module offloading, a base for supply vessels and LNG and condensate loading; and
• the potential to expand to up to 25-million tonnes a year of LNG production capacity.

However, an evaluation of the project in April, ahead of a final investment decision, determined that the Browse project did not meet the company’s commercial requirements.

Value
The cost of the project was estimated at $45-billion.

Duration
First gas production had initially been slated for 2017.

Latest Developments
Woodside Petroleum has decided not to move ahead with the proposed Browse LNG onshore development, as “the development concept does not meet the company’s commercial requirements for a positive final investment decision”.

The escalating costs of the Browse project resulted in the current development concept not being commercial.

The company will review all alternative ideas with its project partners.

The Browse resource is still considered to be a world-class resource and the company is working to underpin this value by bringing forward the earliest possible development of Browse.

One of the options being considered, instead of an onshore development, is floating LNG technology, which has been advanced by project partner Shell at its Prelude project.

However, it is too early to say if any of these options are commercial.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Browse LNG development project, tel +61 8 9191 9200.