Copyright offshore-energy
U.S.-headquartered energy technology giant Baker Hughes has more work to grind through at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project in Texas, as it has been hired to provide the primary liquefaction equipment for another segment of this multibillion-dollar undertaking in the United States. Thanks to this additional order from Bechtel Energy for the Rio Grande LNG expansion project, Baker Hughes will supply the main liquefaction equipment for the $6.7 billion Train 5 expansion of NextDecade’s development in the Port of Brownsville, Texas. Currently, these five trains are estimated at $31.8 billion. Bhupesh Thakkar, Bechtel’s General Manager for its LNG business, commented: “Our continued collaboration with Baker Hughes on the Rio Grande LNG project highlights their consistent delivery of industry-leading technology and expertise. “We value Baker Hughes’ ongoing support as we progress this significant expansion, which will be vital for meeting growing global energy demand.” The latest award follows a recent order for $6.7 billion Train 4 and is part of a previously established framework agreement covering a variety of the firm’s equipment and associated contractual services for trains 4 through 8. Mirroring the proven technology solution deployed in previous trains, the Train 5 order entails two Frame 7 gas turbines, said to be known for their proven reliability and energy efficiency, and six centrifugal compressors, designed to deliver efficiency and lower emissions to support an additional LNG capacity of approximately 6 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) at the facility. Lorenzo Simonelli, Baker Hughes’ Chairman and CEO, remarked: “Securing this order for the fifth train of the Rio Grande LNG project underscores the confidence in our proven technology and the dedication of our teams. “We are pleased to extend our collaboration with Bechtel and NextDecade, providing efficient and reliable technology solutions for LNG infrastructure that is critical to sustainable energy development.” Baker Hughes is also in charge of providing an additional digital solution for Rio Grande’s $18.4 billion trains 1 to 3 through the deployment of Cordant Asset Health. Next Decade will utilize Cordant to support its equipment monitoring and failure diagnostics for critical rotating equipment, as well as its cloud-based visualization solution for offline vibration data. Train 5 is commercially supported by several 20-year LNG sale and purchase agreements (SPAs) amounting to 4.5 mtpa of LNG, including those with JERA, EQT Corporation, and ConocoPhillips. The Rio Grande plant has a potential liquefaction capacity of 48 million mtpa, with enough space for up to ten liquefaction trains.
