GE Oil & Gas, a global leader in advanced technology equipment and services for oil and gas industry, said it has clinched a contract to minimise liquefied natural gas (LNG) boil-off gas flaring at Ras Laffan industrial city in Qatar.

The contract was awarded by Fluor Transworld Service, the engineering, procurement and construction management contractor for the Qatargas Jetty Boil-Off gas recovery project.

In the first large-scale application of its type, GE will supply to Fluor Transworld Service a total of six electric motor-driven compressors, mounted on a single lift base-plate to facilitate installation at the world’s largest LNG complex, said a company statement.

As per the contract, GE Oil & Gas will help cut carbondioxide emissions and enhance environmental performance of Qatar LNG producers at the port through productive use of the gas that boils off during loading of the LNG carriers.

The project is scheduled to be completed in early 2014, it added.

The gas that was previously boiled-off and flared during the loading of LNG carriers in Ras Laffan Port will now be collected from the LNG carriers and transferred to a central compression area via large diameter stainless steel pipelines, said a top GE official.

At the central compression area, GE compression units will compress the gas and send it to the LNG trains primarily for use as fuel gas.

Joe Mastrangelo, vice president – Turbomachinery, GE Oil & Gas, said: 'We’re extremely pleased that GE technology has been selected to play a major role in this significant, environmentally focused project for Qatargas and RasGas.'

'The project strengthens the relationship we have developed with Qatar over the years, supplying key LNG equipment and services that are supporting Qatar’s position as the world’s largest LNG producer,” he added.

Qatargas and RasGas are dedicated to continuously improving environmental performance, the GE Oil & Gas said in a statement.

Given the scale and complexity of LNG venture, this is a milestone boil-off gas recovery project that will enable minimization of gas flaring to the fullest extent, helping conserve Qatar’s natural resources. GE’s technology will be critical to project success, it added.-TradeArabia News Service