Pluto

Pluto Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project Profile

Location and Geography

The Pluto LNG project is located in the Northern Carnarvon Basin, approximately 190km north-west of Karratha, Western Australia. The project includes an offshore platform and associated subsea infrastructure, as well as onshore facilities at the Burrup LNG Park, situated between the North West Shelf Venture and Dampier Port.

Operators and Partners

The project is operated by Woodside Energy (Woodside), an Australia-based oil and gas company, which holds a 90% interest. The remaining 10% is shared equally between Japanese companies Tokyo Gas and Kansai Electric, which became project partners in January 2008 and have 15-year sales agreements for the gas.

Gas Fields and Reservoirs

The project processes gas from the Pluto and neighbouring Xena gas fields. Additional gas will be processed from the Scarborough field as part of the brownfield expansion. The Pluto field is notable for its naturally low carbon dioxide content, around 2%, which is lower than much of the other gas in the region.

Infrastructure and Operations

• Offshore Platform: The project includes an unmanned, remotely operated offshore platform in 85 meters of water, connected to five subsea big-bore wells on the Pluto gas field. The platform is surrounded by a 500-meter radius Petroleum Safety Zone (PSZ).
• Pipeline: Gas is piped to shore via a 180km-long, 36-inch-wide pipeline to the Burrup LNG Park.
• Onshore Facilities: The Burrup LNG Park houses the LNG processing plant, which commenced production in 2012. The facility produces wet gas and condensate, which are processed onshore.
• Control and Monitoring: The Pluto platform is a not-normally-manned facility, operated remotely from a fixed operator console at the Pluto onshore Central Control Room (CCR).

Production and Capacity

• Initial Phase: The initial phase of the project involved a single LNG train with a capacity of approximately 4.9 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa).
• Brownfield Expansion: Woodside plans to build a second gas processing train (Pluto Train Two) with a capacity of around 5.3 Mtpa, processing gas from the Scarborough field. The first Pluto train will be refurbished to process an additional 1.5 Mtpa of gas from the Scarborough field. Domestic gas production capacity will also be increased to around 225 terajoules per day.

Environmental Considerations

• Greenhouse Gas Abatement: Woodside has invested significantly in a program to offset reservoir emissions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This includes tree planting and a biodiversity offsets program to minimize the impact on the marine environment.
• Marine Monitoring: The project involves the largest marine monitoring program of its kind, aimed at minimizing the impact of dredging activities on marine life.

Contractors and Development

• Front-End Engineering and Design: Foster Wheeler WorleyParsons was contracted for the front-end engineering, design, and EPCM of the Pluto LNG project. Other contractors include BGC Contracting, CPB Contractors, CB&I, and Boskalis.
• Expansion Contractors: Bechtel Australia was awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction contract for the Pluto Train Two development in October 2018.

Development Timeline

• Site Preparation: Site preparation works at the Burrup LNG Park began in 2007.
• Production Start: The field’s first gas entered the processing train in March 2012, following delays in the completion of the Burrup LNG Park. The project was originally scheduled to begin production in 2010.
• Expansion Plans: The front-end engineering and design (FEED) for Pluto Train Two was completed in 2019, with the final investment decision due in 2021. An interconnector to transport gas from the Pluto LNG project to the Karratha gas plant (KGP) is expected to come online and allow future development of other offshore gas reserves.

Regulatory Approvals

The project has received necessary approvals from the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment and the Western Australian Minister for Environment. The approvals include conditions outlined in the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and the Western Australian Government’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Policy for Major Projects.

Financial and Economic Aspects

• Development Costs: The cost of developing the project increased by A$900 million to A$14.9 billion due to delays and other factors.
• Economic Impact: The project contributes significantly to the local and national economy through employment, infrastructure development, and gas supply agreements.

In summary, the Pluto LNG project is a significant energy development in Western Australia, characterized by its advanced environmental mitigation strategies, substantial investment, and strategic partnerships. It plays a crucial role in the global LNG market and contributes to the energy security of Australia and its partners.