Major Coal Bed Methane Project In Australia
Leading Scottish engineering company, Howden Compressors Ltd., part of the Howden group of companies, announces that is has received a multi-million pound order to manufacture and supply a substantial number of its largest screw compressors, over a two year period, for a major coal bed methane (CBM), liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Queensland, Australia.
This contract involves large capacity Howden screw compressors being installed at the heart of dedicated compression systems for BG Group plc’s Queensland Curtis LNG project. The systems will assist in the gathering and compression of coal bed methane gas reserves, located inland and some 300 - 600 metres underground. This gas will be fed via transmission pipelines to a liquefied natural gas plant being developed near Gladstone, on the coast of Queensland.
With a global installed base of over 35,000 screw compressors and established over the past 60 years as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of these machines, Howden Compressors has supplied many screw compressors for similar gas gathering projects across the world, in particular for coal bed methane projects in North America and India.
Jim Fairbairn, Managing Director of Howden Compressors, announced this order to the company’s workforce at its factory in Craigton, Glasgow, commenting “This order is a major success for us and will contribute significantly to our ambitious strategy for growth in supplying our products and services to major mature and developing markets throughout the world”. He added, “This is a much deserved reward due to the efforts and expertise of our employees, and together with the continued support and investment from Howden and parent company Charter International plc, will reinforce our Craigton facility as a global centre of excellence for screw compressor design and manufacturing”.
Bob Cleland, Chief Executive of Howden, commented, “This win is a major achievement for Howden as it gives us a strategic reference for all up and coming CBM opportunities throughout the world. Investment at our compressor facility has enabled us to continue to compete and deliver on a global stage.”
In support of this contract, and other recent new and significant projects secured for its screw compressors, Howden Compressors Ltd
also announces that it has recently recruited additional engineering staff at its Glasgow factory, increasing the total headcount at this site by 30%.
CBM (known as coal seam gas in Australia) is a form of natural gas extracted from coal beds. Composed typically of 98% methane, 1% nitrogen and less than 1% carbon dioxide, CBM is considered an important new “cleaner” source of fuel gas, requiring relatively little treatment before being used. Substantial CBM reserves have been found all over world, and in recent decades it has become an important source of energy in North America. More recently in Australia, where increasing levels of CBM deposits are being identified and gathered, this has lead to the development of a major new industry in this region to convert CBM to LNG for export worldwide, to serve the ever increasing demand for gas. CBM can also be used as a household fuel as well as for gas-fired power generation plants.