To meet the world’s growing energy demand as well as to optimize energy use while minimizing wasted energy, Qatar Petroleum (QP) has embarked on several important initiatives such as the Jetty Boil-off Gas Recovery (JBOG) Project.
This energy-saving environmental project is led by Qatargas with an aim to recover gas currently being flared during liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship loading at Ras Laffan Port. It is going to be an important constituent of the Common Facilities Projects at Ras Laffan Industrial City, as it will recover and collect boiled-off gas from LNG ships during loading and the gas will then be compressed at a central facility. The development of the JBOG Project was initiated by QP in 2004.
HE Minister of Energy and Industry Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada hailed the project as one of the biggest environmental investments for LNG boil-off recovery in the world.
Al-Sada said, "With a capital outlay of USD 800 million, JBOG is set to become a landmark project for the State of Qatar, underlining its strong commitment to protecting the environment".
Dr. Al-Sada stressed that "this commitment is guided by the leadership of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al -Thani as proclaimed in Qatar’s National Vision and National Development Strategy." "The huge investment in JBOG by Qatar Petroleum and its partners will reduce the carbon footprint of the 77MMPTA (Million Metric Tonn Per Annum) of LNG production facilities to the minimum, immensely contributing to the achievement of our goals," Dr. Al-Sada added.
The compressed gas obtained from the JBOG Project is planned to be utilized by existing LNG assets of organizations like Qatargas and RasGas either as feedstock to LNG trains or as fuel gas. The project, when fully operational, will recover the equivalent of about 0.6 million tonnes of LNG per year, which is sufficient natural gas to power more than 300,000 homes. This utilization of the erstwhile flared gas will result in a saving of approximately 1 trillion cubic feet of gas over a period of 30 years.
Commenting on the project, Qatargas Chief Executive Officer Khalid Bin Khalifa Al Thani, said: "We are very pleased that Qatargas is able to lead this project on behalf of all the LNG producers at Ras Laffan Industrial City. Qatargas, Qatar Petroleum, and RasGas are all focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy use so that we can reduce the wastage of gas to the lowest levels possible to meet or beat international standards. This project will contribute greatly to truly making LNG a clean fuel for the world".
The Front End Engineering Design (FEED) of the JBOG Project was awarded to the US-based company Fluor in October 2007. The FEED was completed by the end of 2008. The Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) contract for the project was then awarded also to Fluor in February 2010. Qatargas awarded the contract on behalf of the owners of the project: the four Qatargas (QG 1, 2, 3 & 4) and three RasGas (RL1, 2 & 3) companies that own the 14 LNG trains at Ras Laffan. The major sub-contractors on the project are Qatar Engineering & Construction Company (Qcon), Qatar Kentz, Medgulf, Teyseer, Draieh, Shaqab Abela and G4S.
The project design is based on collection of the LNG boil-off gas from the LNG carriers and then the transfer of this gas to a Central Compression Area via large-diameter stainless steel pipelines. At the Central Compression Area, the gas will be compressed and sent to respective LNG trains for use either as feedstock or as fuel gas. The split in compressed JBOG distribution for each LNG asset is structured based on its LNG production capacity.
The top priority of the JBOG Project is the safety of everyone who works on the project. In order to make sure that "Everybody Goes Home Safely" day in and day out, twelve mandatory JBOG Golden Rules were introduced. The JBOG Project has fully implemented the Qatargas Incident and Injury Free (IIF) program. This behavior-based program has increased the awareness among all the people involved in the project in regards to taking care of themselves and their colleagues at all times. The project is expected to be commissioned in the third quarter of 2014.