Woodside Picks KBR for Browse Work
US engineering contractor KBR said October 11 it has been awarded a preliminary design contract by Woodside on the latter's Browse development.
KBR will undertake 'concept definition engineering contract' for the two gas production vessels (FPSOs) for the proposed Browse to North West Shelf (NWS) development offshore Australia.
It said that Woodside launched the engineering services contract to define all elements of the hull and topsides of two FPSOs, and that it is expected to last up to the end of 1H2019. Estimated revenue associated with this project will be booked into KBR's orders backlog in 4Q2018.
Two months ago Woodside said it envisages the start of Browse's actual front end engineering and design (Feed) in 4Q2019. The plan worked on since February is to produce gas from the offshore Browse area through the FPSOs and then pipe it for processing to the existing onshore NWS liquefaction complex, also Woodside-operated.
Browse joint venture partners are Woodside (operator) 30.6%, Shell 27%, BP 17.33%, a Mitsui-Mitsubishi joint venture 14.4% and PetroChina 10.67%. The field is in water depth of 350 to 700 meters some 425km north of Broome, Western Australia, and has contingent resources of 16 trillion ft3 gas and 466mn bbls condensate.
On October 9, Woodside selected Bechtel as its preferred execution contractor for the proposed expansion of its Pluto LNG facility in Western Australia. No value was disclosed for either contract.