The global market for liquefied natural gas(LNG)continues to grow rapidly.Traditionally,base-load LNG plants have provided the majority of this supply.As the industry has grown,base-load plants have grown increasingly larger.This has normally meant better economies of scale on project cost.Recently,however,base-load plants have become much more complex,and the cost is escalating in an uncontrolled fashion.The growing"diseconomies"of scale for larger units is directing more attention to development of mid-scale LNG projects that could cover the gap between LNG supply and demand.The appeal of mid-scale projects is that they require smaller reserve bases,less total investment and should allow development in a shorter timeframe.The projects must be robust enough to overcome some infrastructure costs that occur regardless of project scale.The timeframe for development and key decision points,as well the as application of appropriate technology to these projects is necessary to control costs and bring projects online in a timely manner.Mid-scale projects are being developed in a modular fashion to enable rapid deployment and future expansion.Recent cost estimates for a variety of plant throughputs have shown that mid-scale facilities can meet economic hurdles and become reality.
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