Presenting IGU’s new members

At the IGU Council meeting that took place immediately before the 27th World Gas Conference in Washington DC, IGU welcomed a new Charter Member and three new Associate Members. In the following pages we provide an overview of their activities and aspirations as they join the Union.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Gas, Sudan

By Elamin Mustafa Sudan has a diverse range of natural resources, including hydrocarbons. We have huge reserves of natural gas from both conventional and unconventional sources.

Sudan has been producing oil commercially since 1997 following a long history of oil and gas exploration stretching back to the 1950s. However, the Ministry of Petroleum and Gas (MOPG) is planning to focus on natural gas, especially with recent advances in production and utilisation technology.

Substantial hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered in rift basins during the past five decades with total oil initially in place of more than 6 billion barrels and gas initially in place of about 3 tcf (84.95 bcm). The country’s speculative oil in place resources are approximately 24 billion barrels and a study is under way to identify speculative gas resources.

Sudan is an emerging oil producer in Africa, with oil revenues a significant contributor to the country’s economy. Commercial oil exports started in August 1999 with 40,000 bpd and have ascended gradually to 500,000 bpd from Blocks 1, 2, 4, 3, 7, 5A and 6 in 2008. However, the separation of South Sudan has resulted in giving up twothirds of production and the developed reserves to the new country.

Strategically, the Ministry is seeking to achieve the following objectives:  Ensure the contribution of the petroleum sector to the national economy by generating revenues, enhancing the balance of payments

The headquarters of the Ministry of Oil and Gas in Khartoum, Sudan.

and helping to reduce poverty;  Secure the optimum use of the latest technology;  Expand exploration activities with a view to increasing reserves;  Increase oil production from existing discoveries;  The Ministry plans to support natural gas exploration in the eastern part of the Red Sea area in the offshore and onshore concession by providing a flexible EPSA for investors.  Support the LNG industry in Sudan and increase its share of the national energy mix as a reliable and clean source of energy.

Moreover, Sudan is planning to strengthen its relationship with the international gas community in light of the recent lifting of US sanctions which prohibited Sudan from being an active member of many organisations.

The leadership of the Ministry will provide its full support to Sudan’s IGU membership in order to map out the country’s potential and contribution as a major gas producer in the near future.

MOPG is ready for any kind assistance that can support the development of the gas industry, both at the regional and international level.

The Ministry will contribute actively in the IGU community through parti

cipation in meetings and workshops, hosting IGU events and supporting and encouraging cooperation between Sudanese companies and institutions and IGU members.

MOPG will work together with the IGU Secretariat to promote and expand the utilisation of natural gas as a more sustainable fuel comparing to other fossil fuels.

The Ministry also plans to promote the gas industry and the role of natural gas as the long-term sustainable energy solution both regionally and at the global level. Currently natural gas plays a vital role in Sudan’s energy mix, with increasing numbers of businesses converted from other conventional fuels, which can have a significant impact on the development of the country.

MOPG supports the utilisation of natural gas as a key element in the preservation of the environment and to keeping the air clean in the pursuit of meeting climate change challenges.

Elamin Mustafa is Gas Projects Section Head at the Ministry of Petroleum and Gas, the Republic of the Sudan. For further information, visit: www.mop.gov.sd. By Manuel Aguilera HIMOINSA is a global corporation that designs, manufactures and distributes

HIMO INSA S.L.

A key strength of HIMOINSA is the capability to produce all the components of a genset in-house.

power generation equipment worldwide. It adds advanced application and engineering know-how, excellent design and service capabilities, delivering value beyond the equipment it produces. The company has eight production plants located in Argentina, Brazil, China, France, India, Spain and the United States, and also has 11 subsidiaries strategically located around the world in Angola, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

HIMOINSA offers diesel and gas generator sets, control panels and paralleling systems to supply continuous power in projects that require continuous or emergency power, in addition to incorporating advanced control systems that activate one or more units, even remotely via a fleet manager.

Being a vertical manufacturer is HIMOINSA’s main strength, as the company has the capability of producing all components of the genset: alternators, engines, canopies, automatic transfer switches and control panels that incorporate gas train management, IT safety systems and special alarms for gas-powered units that guarantee safe start-ups

and shut-downs.

HIMOINSA equipment in use at an oil field in Texas, USA.

Gas power solutions

A constantly evolving industry such as oil and gas demands power solutions with a range of outputs and the market for these in China, Latin America and the Middle East is estimated at $2.03 billion up to 2020. HIMOINSA gensets offer power outputs from 10 kW to 2,500 kW and they run on natural gas, LPG and biogas, which are environmentally friendly fuels. These gensets provide an ongoing supply of power that not only achieves an important reduction in emissions of CO, CO 2 , NOx and particulates, but also of noise.

HIMOINSA incorporates a complete gas train into its equipment, with manual shut-off valve, gas filter, pressure regulator, double solenoid valve, valve leaking test, low pressure switch and inlet/outlet manometers. The gas train has all the security certifications needed in any country. This plug-and-play equipment guarantees higher safety and reduced installation costs and simplifies the installation room design.

The gensets are equipped with carefully selected engines to provide continuous power 24/7, which are efficient, low-maintenance and offer proven durability and reliability. For example, in the range of gas-powered gensets run by Yanmar engines some models have service periods of up to 10,000 hours.

Versatile design guarantees that the equipment can work in a multitude of applications and sectors such as rental, telecoms, oil and gas and residential. Gas-powered gensets are also an excellent choice for installations in really cold environments in which diesel might be quick to freeze. In fact, in the midstream sector HIMOINSA has already supplied several gensets to ensure that gas pipelines in Romania continue to function during the winter snowfalls.

An artist’s rendering of the Rio Grande liquefaction plant.

HIMOINSA installations also ensure a continuous supply of power to salmon farms in South America without any risk of spillage into the marine environment, make good use of the natural gas that is released from oil extraction wells in Colombia and cope with peaks of energy demand for research and development in a biological sample bank laboratory.

Manuel Aguilera is Gas Product Manager at HIMOINSA. For further information, visit: www.himoinsa.com.

NextDecade Corporation

NextDecade is an LNG development company focused on LNG export projects and associated pipelines in Texas. NextDecade intends to develop a portfolio of LNG projects, including the 27 mtpa Rio Grande LNG export facility in Brownsville, Texas and the 4.5 bcf/d (126 mcm/d) Rio Bravo Pipeline that would transport natural gas from the Agua Dulce area to Rio Grande LNG. NextDecade’s common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “NEXT.” The company is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, but also has offices in Singapore and Beijing, China.

Located at the Port of Brownsville in South Texas, NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG project is expected to be a leader among second wave US LNG projects. NextDecade believes its customers and shareholders will benefit from the project’s experienced leadership, proven approach, and optimal location. Next

Decade’s technology selections are expected to foster operational reliability and afford the company’s customers access to reliable, low-cost, abundant natural gas from the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford Shale and other basins.

NextDecade is proud to join the International Gas Union to contribute to the development and advancement of the natural gas industry. As an international LNG company, NextDecade recognises the importance of industry peer networking, insight sharing, conference participation and public education.

For further information, visit: www.next-decade.com.

Tatweer Petroleum

Building on a history of hydrocarbons development in Bahrain that stretches back to 1932, Tatweer Petroleum was founded by the government of Bahrain in 2009 as a joint venture with three strategic partners: Nogaholding – the business development and investment arm of Bahrain’s National Oil and Gas Authority, US-based Occidental Petroleum and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Petroleum. The company assumed responsibility for the stewardship and revitalisation of the mature Bahrain Field and became wholly owned by Nogaholding in July 2016.

Tatweer Petroleum’s primary goal is to increase the production of oil and the availability of gas to meet Bahrain’s future energy demands in line with the nation’s Economic Vision 2030. The company’s natural gas activities encompass the whole value chain from exploration and production through processing and transmission to distribution and sales.

Extracted from the Khuff gas reservoir, natural gas is utilised by the country’s industrial sectors including electricity generation, water desalination, aluminium smelting and petrochemical production, with some gas re-injected into Bahrain’s oil fields to stimulate production and maintain reservoir pressure.

Looking further afield for supplies, Tatweer is currently preparing for LNG import and distribution from Bahrain LNG’s receiving and regasification terminal (the first such facility in the Middle East), which is under construction offshore from the Khalifa Bin Salman Port and scheduled to come onstream in 2019.

Associate membership of IGU is seen by the company as an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to current and future gas industry issues and to participate in the range of workshops, training sessions, conferences and exhibitions in IGU’s extensive portfolio. The prospect of networking with other gas industry experts from around the globe that IGU membership affords and gaining access to the Union’s wealth of publications, reports and technical papers is also an important reason for joining.

Tatweer Petroleum’s highly experienced engineers, involved throughout the gas business chain, will contribute their knowledge to IGU’s committees, task forces, events and activities and the company is looking forward to sharing this information and expertise in exploration, development, operations and distribution with other IGU members.

For further information, visit: www.tatweerpetroleum.com.

Tatweer Petroleum is the sole producer and supplier of natural gas in Bahrain.

The Qatargas story is one of unparalleled growth, cutting-edge innovation, and ultimate reliability in LNG supplies. Established in 1984, Qatargas develops, produces, and markets hydrocarbons from the world’s largest non-associated natural gas field. In addition to producing LNG, Qatargas is also a leading exporter of helium, condensate and associated products.

Following the successful integration of Qatargas and RasGas in 2017, the newly formed Qatargas became a unique global energy operator in terms of size, service and reliability. This integration pooled the best resources and capabilities of both the companies, and produced an exceptional combination of efficiency and effectiveness, creating even more value for our stakeholders, namely the State of Qatar, shareholders, customers, employees and other business partners. Qatargas now is the largest LNG supplier in the world with a production capacity of 77 million tonnes per annum and a chartered fleet of 70 vessels delivering to a large portfolio of customers across the world on long and short-term bases.

Qatargas’ approach to environmental management is closely aligned with the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030, which envisions preserving the environment for future generations. The Company strongly believes in implementing state-of-the-art solutions to further reduce environmental impact across the LNG value chain while maintaining safe and reliable performance. Along with meeting regulatory requirements, Qatargas’ key environmental management focus areas are flare minimisation, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air quality, wastewater and waste management.

Qatargas maintains a robust flare management programme which ensures continual improvement in flaring reduction. This involves enhanced monitoring, operational source reduction and implementation of flare reduction projects. Qatargas oper

In August 2017 Qatargas achieved a world-class safety milestone when its Operations Group completed two years, and 30 million man-hours, without a lost time injury (LTI) in the Company’s onshore and offshore assets.

ational excellence initiatives on source reduction and plant reliability and flare reduction engineering projects have successfully reduced flaring by more than 57% between 2011 and 2017. Qatargas’ $1 billion Jetty Boil-off Gas (JBOG) recovery facility, that commenced operations in October 2014, reduced LNG loading-related flaring by nearly 90% at all LNG shiploading berths. A comprehensive purge gas reduction project was completed in December 2013 at four of our LNG megatrains, which reduced baseline purge flaring by approximately 45%. Additionally, passing valve monitoring programmes and turnaround flare management plans help in reducing operational flaring significantly.

The GHG management programme involves GHG emissions quantification, verification and development, and implementing plans to reduce GHG emissions. Over the last five years, Qatargas has been able to achieve an annual reduction of approximately three million tonnes of GHG emissions through reliable operation of our JBOG recovery and acid gas injection facilities, and from reducing flare purge gas volumes.

Qatargas is committed to managing its air emissions responsibly and in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. Currently, Qatargas continuously monitors its air emissions via its extensive network of Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS). Recently, the company has invested significantly in low NOx controls on its major combustion sources. Furthermore, Qatargas recognises the importance of reducing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere, and has established a robust Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programme at its facilities. The LDAR programme provides surveillance for piping components in VOC service, leading to necessary repairs in identified VOC leaks. Continual improvement in LDAR monitoring and repair operations at our facilities have led to a substantial reduction in VOC emissions.

Qatargas’ goals are aligned with those of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) in minimising wastewater discharge and maximising the efficient use of water. The Company has invested in a comprehensive Wastewater Reduction and Reuse (WRR) programme to achieve three key objectives in accordance with MME’s goals. The WRR programme’s first objective is to reduce wastewater injection into deep well formations. The second objective is to recycle water using advanced technologies – effectively treating wastewater for further use, thereby reducing intake of desalinated water for industrial operations. Thirdly, Qatargas plans to reuse suitable streams of treated water for irrigation. The conceptual approach to treatment utilises membrane bioreactor (MBR) and reverse osmosis (RO) technology.

By upgrading our wastewater systems to tertiary systems across our plant operations, Qatargas will be able to reuse 65-70% of its wastewater discharge as polished water for utilities reuse. The reject water obtained following RO treatment has various disposal

v Qatargas’ onshore liquefaction operations began in 1984 with the three train Qatargas I facility. Continuous expansion and development has seen that number grow to the current 14 trains with an annual production capacity of 77 million tonnes of LNG. pathways such as discharge to deep well injections, sent to the Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC) common cooling water channel, or use to meet irrigation needs. The nearzero liquid discharge (ZLD) facility at Laffan Refinery commenced operations in early 2018 while our other wastewater reduction and reuse projects are in progress and expected to be completed between 2018 and 2021 in a phased manner.

Qatargas maintains sustainable waste management practices for all its operating facilities. It has implemented a robust system to minimise the volume of waste generation per tonne of gas produced and established waste treatment and disposal routes for key waste streams. In 2017, waste generation at Qatargas was 31% lower than the 2012 baseline.

The company has also successfully developed new marine habitats from relocated corals from major project pipeline corridors. Qatargas’ dedication to protect Qatar’s offshore biodiversity has manifested as a coral relocation programme undertaken by the company under the guidance of MME.

For now and well into the future, Qatargas will continue to seek increased energy efficiency across its facilities for continual improvement and a more sustainable tomorrow. Committed to operating in ways that reflect its corporate values, the Company seeks long-lasting, sustainable partnerships with communities based on trust and collaboration. With business processes that reflect high ethical standards, our focus is on safe working practices, operating efficiency, investment in people, innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility.

“When a company like ours commits to sustainability, it is making a promise to conduct its business in a way that delivers beneficial change to everyone it touches – customers, consumers, shareholders, employees and the community at large. Implicit in this compact is that our business bestows the same beneficial effects on the natural resources and the environment, which we share with the broader world,” summarises Khalid bin Khalid Al Thani, Chief Executive Officer, Qatargas.