North Rankin

North Rankin Complex Profile

Location and Geography

The North Rankin Complex (NRC) is situated approximately 135 kilometers northwest of Dampier, Western Australia, in the Carnarvon Basin of the North-West Shelf. The facilities are located in water depths of about 125 meters.

Facilities and Infrastructure

The NRC consists of two interconnected production platforms:

• North Rankin A (NRA): The original platform, which has been in operation since 1984.
• North Rankin B (NRB): A newer platform, installed as part of the North Rankin Redevelopment Project, which began operations in 2013. NRB is linked to NRA via a 100-meter bridge and is considered the largest offshore platform in the world, weighing 58,000 tons and measuring 100 meters in length, 50 meters in width, and 80 meters in height.

Production and Operations

The NRC produces dry gas and condensate from the North Rankin, Perseus, and Persephone fields. Here are some key operational details:

• Production Capacity: The facility is designed to export up to 66 kilotonnes (kT) per day of gas and 6 kT per day of condensate.
• Processing and Transportation: Gas and condensate are processed on the facility and then transported via two trunklines (1TL and 2TL) to the onshore Karratha Gas Plant (KGP).
• Associated Infrastructure: The complex includes subsea facilities, such as those associated with the Persephone field, and is connected to other facilities like the Goodwyn A platform, Angel facility, and Okha floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility via subsea tie-in assemblies.

North Rankin Redevelopment Project

This $5 billion project was approved in March 2008 and aimed to extend the life of the North Rankin and Perseus fields by retrieving remaining low-pressure gas, ensuring gas supply until around 2040. Key components include:

• Additional Compression: Installation of new compression facilities to retrieve low-pressure reserves.
• New Production Facilities: Commissioning of new production facilities, including gas-condensate coolers and separators, and three 27,000 kW compression trains.
• Renovations and Additions: Renovation of NRA and the addition of living quarters and a helicopter deck to NRB.

Environmental and Regulatory Compliance

The NRC operates under an Environment Plan (EP) that must be revised at least every five years in accordance with Commonwealth Environmental Regulations. The last revision was accepted by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) in April 2017, incorporating changes related to the Persephone Project.

Participants and Management

The North Rankin Complex is operated by Woodside Energy Ltd. on behalf of the North West Shelf Project participants, which include:

• Woodside Energy Ltd.
• BHP Billiton Petroleum (North West Shelf) Pty Ltd
• BP Developments Australia Pty Ltd
• Chevron Australia Pty Ltd
• Japan Australia LNG (MIMI) Pty Ltd
• Shell Development (Australia) Pty Ltd.

Historical Context

The North West Shelf Project, of which the North Rankin Complex is a part, is one of the largest resource development projects in Australian history. It began with the discovery of hydrocarbons at North Rankin in 1971 and has undergone several phases of development since the 1980s, including the construction of LNG processing trains and domestic gas facilities.

Engineering and Construction

The construction of NRB involved significant engineering and logistical efforts:

• Manufacturing: The topside of NRB was manufactured by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in South Korea.
• Installation: The platform was installed using the float-over method, with an eight-legged jacket and piles extending over 300 meters below sea level.