Prostrate before Pearl

摘要

Shell's giant Gas-to-Liquids project, Pearl, is about to go live. It is a project where superlatives abound - the first being that it is the largest GTL plant in the world. It has the biggest this, that and the other, and is the accumulation of decades of research, development and practical experience, starting with Shell's pioneering Bintulu plant in Malaysia, which came on line in 1993. If it all goes according to plan, the greatest engineering marvel of all will be the efficient integration of so many complex processes into one production chain.When fully ramped up, the plant will produce 140,000 b/d of premium oil products, while the upstream gas development produces 120,000 b/d oil equivalent of ethane. Full production is expected in mid-2012. Pearl has cost $18-$19 billion, more than initially expected, but, remarkably, in line with the budget set by the Shell board in 2006, according to Andy Brown, Executive VP and Managing Director of the plant, speaking at the CWC XTL Summit in London, June 7. This was achieved through a period of supply-side inflation in the oil and gas industry which can only be described as ferocious.