$B
Service Centre boosts natural gas plant
By Louis Homer
Trinidad Express
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
05 20 07
Atlantic LNG no longer has to send its turbines
to the United States for repairs.
The new US$400 million service centre which was
opened last week on the ALNG compound at Point
Fortin is designed to carry out all repairs through
a modular concept which will reduce down time,
and create greater efficiency in the company's
operations.
The centre was opened by Acting Energy Minister
Christine Sahadeo in the presence of officials
from General Electric and the billion-dollar liquified
natural gas plant.
The centre is equipped with a maintenance and
repair shop, field service and technical personnel.
A centre with specially trained personnel capable
of carrying out inspections and repairs to turbines
is part of the new facility.
John
Rice, vice chairman of General Electric, said
at the opening: "The relationship between
GE and ALNG will go a long way in assisting the
company in meeting the growing demand for liquefied
natural gas."
Rice said that in addition to achieving an extra
year of production, which will be brought about
by reducing outages during extensive maintenance
periods, the contractual services now will enhance
the plant's availability while ensuring the highest
level of safety standards.
It was noted that GE Oil and Gas is one of the
world's leading suppliers of advanced technology
compression power generation and auxiliaries equipment
for the oil and gas industry.
Vice president, technical services at ALNG Carl
Ramlakhan, who represented the company at the opening,
said the relationship between GE and ALNG started
with Train 1, when in September 2001 GE had installed
the turbines.
He
added: "With Train 4 on stream, we now
have 27 turbines and with the service centre located
on the plant, we are now in a position to reduce
shipping costs and other related charges associated
with sending the turbines abroad."
Sahadeo
saw the new centre as a means of helping the
company to carry out its operations without
interruption "and in addition the activities
will be part of the stimulation of local content
in the energy industry."
GE has a contractual 17-year service agreement
with ALNG which was signed in July 2005.
Trinidad
Express
Wednesday, May 16th 2007
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