Energy Sector Thread - Operators, Engineers, Technicians Et Al

[DreamWeaver]

Hearing rumors of Proman talking about getting gas back this week. Anyone can confirm? Curious to know where they getting it from

[ST Auto]

Yup may be true as they finished of all maintenance works an prepping for plant start up

[DreamWeaver]

Yup may be true as they finished of all maintenance works an prepping for plant start up

I thought that maintenance didnt matter? I thought gas price was the concern and they were just killing time until the bosses signed off on it

[ST Auto]

They took the opportunity to have maintenance done on both plants as they were scheduled to come down for maintenance later on in the month

[DreamWeaver]

They took the opportunity to have maintenance done on both plants as they were scheduled to come down for maintenance later on in the month

So proman was just crying wolf to make ngc look like the bad guy then?

[ST Auto]

How is that crying wolf. It makes sense to fix whatever issues the plant has while it's down. At the end of the day they didn't send home anyone. Ppl still getting paid to work so work them.

[DreamWeaver]

Is all about how it appeared on the media and the kind of responses that were seen. It basically made ngc look like it didnt know how to negotiate and it set up the impression that ngc was being unreasonable in negotiations. If they could have paid for the gas, just be honest with ngc and say they taking a shut down and will take gas by X date.

[ST Auto]

Ngc were only willing to give month to month contracts an they wanted a long term 3 year + contract like what cnc got.

[DreamWeaver]

Ngc were only willing to give month to month contracts an they wanted a long term 3 year + contract like what cnc got.

But they never said that. They said gas price was too high

[ST Auto]

Yea an it was too high. Heard they gt so we will see

[DreamWeaver]

Half truths then. I suppose it is a clever business strategy

[sMASH]

They used to have outage works planned and fairly organized so in the odd case that they come down for any resosn, they had various things to tackle.
Like if it's a say they had things lined up. If it's a week they had another schedule linned upif ti's a Month, they have another schedule tsilored for that.


They rolled like that for the last 6 years.

If they got gas, they ran the plant till it trip and decide how long to stay down.
If they got call to curtail, they might ahve opted to reroute that smijnt do gas to trh other plants, take one down and sort out some issues.


It was quite volatile there.

Its not crying wolf so much as if u get sun u have things lined up to make hay, if u get rain, u have things lined up to full barrel.

[DreamWeaver]

They used to have outage works planned and fairly organized so in the odd case that they come down for any resosn, they had various things to tackle.
Like if it's a say they had things lined up. If it's a week they had another schedule linned upif ti's a Month, they have another schedule tsilored for that.


They rolled like that for the last 6 years.

If they got gas, they ran the plant till it trip and decide how long to stay down.
If they got call to curtail, they might ahve opted to reroute that smijnt do gas to trh other plants, take one down and sort out some issues.


It was quite volatile there.

Its not crying wolf so much as if u get sun u have things lined up to make hay, if u get rain, u have things lined up to full barrel.

Well imagine how different the energy sector news would have been if proman and ngc had mature conversations and agreed that no contract would be in place for the majority of april whilst they work on planned outages. This as opposed to going public and all over the news about gas price. Even their own proman employees had no clue what was going on. The outages were unplanned and they were caught off guard for the most part. Such a public outcry really does bring sympathy for them so i guess I know why they did it. It doesn't help us as a country though. No matter how you look at a company, their priority is always maximized profits

[ST Auto]

The outages were not unplanned as it was scheduled to be held in april month none the less. Agree that everyone seeks to maximize profits an things could have been done differently but for months before emails were sending stating what was taking place with negotiations an everyone was fully aware of the short term contract that kept renewing.

[DreamWeaver]

The outages were not unplanned as it was scheduled to be held in april month none the less. Agree that everyone seeks to maximize profits an things could have been done differently but for months before emails were sending stating what was taking place with negotiations an everyone was fully aware of the short term contract that kept renewing.

Fair point. I am not a govt fanboy but i aint like how this play out with respect to the govt/ngc/country. I rel thinking we in trouble but if is just hardball game being played, ngc right to hit hard. Happened with cnc too, right? Compromise is possible.

[sMASH]

This ongoing fir the last decade. As Various contracts mature.

[DreamWeaver]

This ongoing fir the last decade. As Various contracts mature.

Would be interesting to know how long they got a contract for and if ngc sacrificed having train 1 online, so that proman could get gas. Havent heard anything if train 1 is back in production so I assume it isnt. Dont think there's enough gas for both right now

[De Dragon]

They used to have outage works planned and fairly organized so in the odd case that they come down for any resosn, they had various things to tackle.
Like if it's a say they had things lined up. If it's a week they had another schedule linned upif ti's a Month, they have another schedule tsilored for that.


They rolled like that for the last 6 years.

If they got gas, they ran the plant till it trip and decide how long to stay down.
If they got call to curtail, they might ahve opted to reroute that smijnt do gas to trh other plants, take one down and sort out some issues.


It was quite volatile there.

Its not crying wolf so much as if u get sun u have things lined up to make hay, if u get rain, u have things lined up to full barrel.

Well imagine how different the energy sector news would have been if proman and ngc had mature conversations and agreed that no contract would be in place for the majority of april whilst they work on planned outages. This as opposed to going public and all over the news about gas price. Even their own proman employees had no clue what was going on. The outages were unplanned and they were caught off guard for the most part. Such a public outcry really does bring sympathy for them so i guess I know why they did it. It doesn't help us as a country though. No matter how you look at a company, their priority is always maximized profits

Properly run plants have even 12 hour and 24 hour lists of maintenance and other activities that can be done in an unplanned outage.
Sympathy doesn't offset gas pricing. This GORTT has shown that it is willing to look uncaring once they get their way in the end. Most likely some compromise was made, more likely in the contract length than the price.

[ST Auto]

M5 & M4 restarting atm

[De Dragon]

M5 & M4 restarting atm

Good news for those employees, the company and the country.

[Habit7]

[SuperiorMan]

Excellent news!

[DreamWeaver]

Now we await news on train 1 coming back online. Any returns the country can get from oil and gas is important. Those returns need to be put towards the goal of diversifying the economy. After that climate change summit last week, it seems pretty clear the direction the world is headed

[Habit7]

NGC, BHP deliver good news amid economic gloom
3 hrs ago

The National Gas Company (NGC) says that Trinidad and Tobago can expect to see a healthy boost in its supply of both crude oil and natural gas as the Block 3(a) Ruby development project begins production ahead of schedule.

The Operator, Australian-based BHP, announced first oil from the development on Tuesday and first gas is expected to occur shortly thereafter, the NGC said in a statement today.

Ruby is located offshore Trinidad and Tobago in the shallow water in Block 3(a) within the Greater Angostura Field.

The development consists of both oil and gas production from the Ruby and Delaware reservoirs via five production wells and one gas injector well tied back into existing operated processing facilities.

On completion of all development activities later this year, the Ruby field is expected to produce up to 16,000 gross barrels of oil per day and 80 million gross standard cubic feet of natural gas per day.

The Ruby development is located in Block 3(a) immediately east of the Greater Angostura Field. Through subsidiary NGC E&P (Netherlands) B.V., The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) is a joint venture (JV) partner in the Ruby Project with operator BHP.

In July 2020, NGC and BHP signed a Gas Sales Contract (“GSC”) for the sale of 100% of the gas produced from the Ruby field to add to NGC’s existing portfolio of natural gas supply.

NGC as a joint venture partner is also entitled to a share of the field’s oil production which will be marketed as part of NGC’s Energy Marketing and Trading portfolio, providing valuable supplemental income to the Company.

For NGC President Mark Loquan, said: “NGC has been working closely and conscientiously with upstream operators, both as a value chain stakeholder and Joint Venture partner in several developments, to advance work programmes and bring more gas into the pipeline. It is extremely heartening to see that work bearing fruit. The announcement of first oil from Ruby signals important progress on an important project. We look forward to more positive news from the field and expect associated gas production to give an appreciable boost to our supply over the coming months. This is welcome news for our downstream sector, for our Company, and for the country as a whole.”

Joint venture

In a statement on Tuesday, BHP President Petroleum, Geraldine Slattery said: “The start-up of Ruby represents continued development of BHP’s oil and gas production facilities in Trinidad and Tobago, re-enforces the quality of the resource and its investment competitiveness. An Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) seismic survey acquired by BHP and the Block 3(a) partners in 2018, was utilized to illuminate and optimally position the Ruby Project development wells. This marks a significant milestone for our Petroleum business and our future in Trinidad and Tobago.”

BHP Country Manager of Trinidad and Tobago, Michael Stone said: “Achieving first oil safely and ahead of schedule reflects the true tenacity of the Ruby project team together with our industry and Government partners who persevered to deliver this project amid a global pandemic. This important milestone also highlights BHP’s continued commitment to doing business in Trinidad and Tobago as we celebrate 25 years of operations here this year.”

Drilling and completions activities at Ruby are ongoing, with subsequent wells to be placed into production in the second and third quarter of 2021 and project completion expected in the third quarter of 2021.

The Ruby development is a joint venture between BHP (operator; 68.46 per cent interest) and The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (31.54 per cent interest).

https://trinidadexpress.com/newsextra/n ... a4483.html?

[zoom rader]

NGC, BHP deliver good news amid economic gloom
3 hrs ago

The National Gas Company (NGC) says that Trinidad and Tobago can expect to see a healthy boost in its supply of both crude oil and natural gas as the Block 3(a) Ruby development project begins production ahead of schedule.

The Operator, Australian-based BHP, announced first oil from the development on Tuesday and first gas is expected to occur shortly thereafter, the NGC said in a statement today.

Ruby is located offshore Trinidad and Tobago in the shallow water in Block 3(a) within the Greater Angostura Field.

The development consists of both oil and gas production from the Ruby and Delaware reservoirs via five production wells and one gas injector well tied back into existing operated processing facilities.

On completion of all development activities later this year, the Ruby field is expected to produce up to 16,000 gross barrels of oil per day and 80 million gross standard cubic feet of natural gas per day.

The Ruby development is located in Block 3(a) immediately east of the Greater Angostura Field. Through subsidiary NGC E&P (Netherlands) B.V., The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) is a joint venture (JV) partner in the Ruby Project with operator BHP.

In July 2020, NGC and BHP signed a Gas Sales Contract (“GSC”) for the sale of 100% of the gas produced from the Ruby field to add to NGC’s existing portfolio of natural gas supply.

NGC as a joint venture partner is also entitled to a share of the field’s oil production which will be marketed as part of NGC’s Energy Marketing and Trading portfolio, providing valuable supplemental income to the Company.

For NGC President Mark Loquan, said: “NGC has been working closely and conscientiously with upstream operators, both as a value chain stakeholder and Joint Venture partner in several developments, to advance work programmes and bring more gas into the pipeline. It is extremely heartening to see that work bearing fruit. The announcement of first oil from Ruby signals important progress on an important project. We look forward to more positive news from the field and expect associated gas production to give an appreciable boost to our supply over the coming months. This is welcome news for our downstream sector, for our Company, and for the country as a whole.”

Joint venture

In a statement on Tuesday, BHP President Petroleum, Geraldine Slattery said: “The start-up of Ruby represents continued development of BHP’s oil and gas production facilities in Trinidad and Tobago, re-enforces the quality of the resource and its investment competitiveness. An Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) seismic survey acquired by BHP and the Block 3(a) partners in 2018, was utilized to illuminate and optimally position the Ruby Project development wells. This marks a significant milestone for our Petroleum business and our future in Trinidad and Tobago.”

BHP Country Manager of Trinidad and Tobago, Michael Stone said: “Achieving first oil safely and ahead of schedule reflects the true tenacity of the Ruby project team together with our industry and Government partners who persevered to deliver this project amid a global pandemic. This important milestone also highlights BHP’s continued commitment to doing business in Trinidad and Tobago as we celebrate 25 years of operations here this year.”

Drilling and completions activities at Ruby are ongoing, with subsequent wells to be placed into production in the second and third quarter of 2021 and project completion expected in the third quarter of 2021.

The Ruby development is a joint venture between BHP (operator; 68.46 per cent interest) and The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (31.54 per cent interest).

https://trinidadexpress.com/newsextra/n ... a4483.html?

That's not a red government achievement.

[sMASH]

gas to save they a...

[widdyphuck]

[Habit7]

MEDIA RELEASE: NGC AND TRINGEN SIGN GAS SALES AGREEMENT
May 11, 2021 | Business and Business Development, Downstream Ventures and Development

Media Release: NGC and TRINGEN Sign Gas Sales Agreement
The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) has signed a Gas Sales Agreement with Trinidad Nitrogen Company Limited (TRINGEN).

TRINGEN, with two (2) ammonia plants and gas turbine power generation, is 51% owned by National Enterprises Limited (NEL) and 49% by Yara Caribbean (2002) Ltd. It is one of the longest operating companies on the Point Lisas Industrial Estate and is NGC’s fourth largest petrochemical customer. With this agreement, these two plants will continue to operate and keep Trinidad secured as a key exporter of ammonia. This is another optimistic signal of the sustainability of the local energy industry.

Trinidad Nitrogen Company Limited has been one of the more successful joint ventures for Trinidad and Tobago, paying dividends to its shareholders over the past 25 years, and contributing significantly to the local economy. This Agreement, signed May 11th 2021, will ensure that TRINGEN’s two ammonia plants (TRINGEN I and TRINGEN II) remain a noteworthy part of the country’s downstream landscape at Pt. Lisas. The execution of this gas sales contract re-emphasises both NGC’s and TRINGEN’s commitment to the longevity of the petrochemical industry.

https://media.ngc.co.tt/media-release-n ... agreement/

[De Dragon]

Good to see a gas contract negotiation sans drama for a change.

[The_Honourable]

NGC’s $250M debacle

By Curtis Williams



In what appears to be a major embarrassment for the Keith Rowley administration and the National Gas Company (NGC), Atlantic LNG’s Train 1 plant will be mothballed in the coming weeks and could stay out of service for at least two years according to highly placed sources at both the NGC and the government.

The closure comes even though the state-owned gas company pumped hundreds of millions of dollars in a desperate, ill-fated attempt to keep the plant running and despite the major shareholders, Royal Dutch Shell and bpTT insisting that they did not have natural gas to support the plant and the multinationals decision that they will not put a cent further in keeping it alive.

The NGC which essentially buys gas from the upstream producers and then sells it to companies in the petrochemical sector has very little supply of its own and still, it decided to risk an estimated quarter-billion dollars in doing a turn-around of the plant and on keeping Train 1 in a state of readiness to operate with no guarantee that it could find the gas to support its eventual return to operation.

Highly placed sources in the Rowley Administration insisted that the government was misled by the NGC and at least one member of its leadership team that he had “line of sight” of gas that would be coming and according to the government official that line of sight turned out to be poor sight as the gas has not come and the multinationals have insisted that they do not have gas for four LNG trains, forcing the government to finally stop spending money on a plant that since December has not produced a cubic metre of LNG.

Guardian Media Spoke to the Chairman of the NGC Conrad Enill and asked if it is true that the plant is to the mothballed and after a long pause he insisted that was a question for the government and not the NGC.

“Curtis that is not a question for the NGC. That is in the hands of the Cabinet and that is where you have to direct your question, to the government,” Enill told Guardian Media.

The following questions were sent to Energy Minister Stuart Young on Wednesday but three days later he has not answered. There were also five calls placed to his cell phone which were never answered nor returned.

Young was asked by Guardian Media;

1) When was the decision taken to decommission Train 1?

2) How much money was spent by the NGC on its turnaround?

3) Is that money now lost?

4) Was the decision to pursue operating Train 1 driven by economics?

5) Were the central issues lack of natural gas, safety and environmental?

6) Is there a way forward for Train 1?

Since becoming Energy Minister Young has said little on Train 1 only noting the negotiations are ongoing.

The other partners, bpTT and Shell both said the question was one for the government and that they remain in talks with the administration and the shareholders.

But Guardian Media has confirmed from multiple sources those talks on Train 1 were going nowhere since the gas is simply not there and not all the shareholders have been party to the talks with the Chinese investors not even participating.


A bpTT natural gas forecast for 2021.

The issue of Train 1 first came to fore in 2019 after bpTT which supplied to the plant the approximately 500 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day said it could not guarantee a supply beyond November 2019 because of its poor infill drilling results.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert tried to downplay the impact of the failure telling the Parliament in May 2019, “All this drama over one unproductive well is totally unnecessary!”

Only yesterday the Central Bank’s latest Monetary Policy report pointed to the trouble in the LNG sector and confirmed that Train 1 has been down since last year.

It read, “Data for the first four months of 2021 pointed to a deterioration in energy output compared to the same period of 2020. Natural gas output between January to April 2021 declined by 20.6 per cent.

The decline in natural gas production filtered through to the midstream sector, with NGL and LNG production falling by 22.3 per cent and 37.5 per cent, respectively. The large drop in LNG output came about as the limited availability of natural gas resulted in Atlantic Train 1 being taken down at the end of December 2020. The downtime at Train 1 also coincided with scheduled maintenance at Train 3 in March

Former Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine told Guardian Media that any decision to shutdown Train 1 means questions need to be asked as to ‘why the NGC as a minority (10%) shareholder of Train 1 opted to fund the Q1 2021 Train 1 turnaround when BP (34%) and Shell (46%) chose not to. According to reports that have not been denied by the NGC, this has cost the company approximately $TT300 million’.

He said, “I believe this decision was driven by political considerations as the Government wanted to stem the tide of bad news in the energy sector in 2020. The NGC has poured money behind keeping Train 1 “operations ready” but clearly that strategy has not worked as there is no gas for operations. Train 1 requires 492 million cubic feet per day of natural gas but can be run with half of that volume or 246 million cubic feet per day. BP being the sole supplier of Train 1 would have known that supplying even that minimum volume was a challenge.”

Ramnarine noted that the production from BPTT in 2021 is its lowest since 2002 (19 years).

“The former Minister of Energy, the late Mr Khan opined that BP was not the only supplier of natural gas - alluding that there were other sources of natural gas for Train 1. However, we are yet to see that other source step forward. I recall that the Point Lisas CEOs in December 2020 rejected the idea that some of that natural gas could come from NGC’s supply to Point Lisas. Added to all this, Train 1 has been down since November 2020. That is the longest a Train has ever been down in T&T. It raises all sorts of questions about rotating equipment and restarting the Train. I understand that the Atlantic Partners are awaiting feedback from the Government as to its position going forward.” Ramnarine insisted.

He said the shutdown of Train 1 will be a sad day for T&T and as a country, we must ask - why do we not have natural gas supply to keep Train 1 going albeit at a 50% rate? Why did we allow natural gas production to dip this low? Additionally, in the current scenario of climate change, companies like BP and Shell are looking to cull high carbon footprint assets and the Atlantic Trains are just that.

Crucial to understanding the Government’s dilemma is the role of bpTT, which for the last 21 years provided 100 per cent of the gas for Train 1. The company has made it clear that it does not now have the gas and has not provisioned for it.

A confidential bpTT document which the Guardian obtained earlier this year showed that not only has bpTT not allocated a molecule of natural gas for Train 1, it is expecting a catastrophic fall in its production.

The document showed the company expecting an average of 1.371 billion standard cubic feet of natural gas per day. Compare this to March this year when the company was producing over 2 billion standard cubic feet per day and averaged up to September this year 1.8 billion standard cubic feet per day.

The forecast has so far proven accurate.

Source: https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/ngcs-25 ... 2cea151e0d