MHI, ExxonMobil Announce LNG Project Partnership

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has reached an agreement with ExxonMobil and its co-venture partners to supply H-100 gas turbine and compressor packages for the Rovuma LNG Phase 1 project in Mozambique.

Subject to final investment decision on the project, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor Corp. (MCO) will supply the main liquefaction compressors, and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems(MHPS) will provide dual-shaft, 120 MW H-100 gas turbines as the mechanical drivers.

MHI said the Rovuma LNG project will utilize the Air Products AP-X process to build one of the world’s largest natural gas liquefaction plants in Mozambique’s remote northern area. The project plan is for two liquefied natural gas trains, each expected to produce at least 7.6 million tons per annum (MTA).

“We are pleased that ExxonMobil and their partners were the first to select MHI’s H-100 driven compressor trains for their Rovuma LNG project and anticipate future uses for the flexible turbine design,” said MHI President and CEO Seiji Izumisawa. “We are confident that our products will prove to be a game-changer for the LNG industry. This project will allow us to demonstrate the benefits of MHI’s LNG solution in terms of lower production costs, increased productivity, reduced complexity and lower lifecycle costs, while significantly reducing plant emissions.”

MCO has an extensive record of delivering compressors to oil, gas and petrochemical industries.

MHPS said the H-100 is the world’s largest dual-shaft heavy duty type gas turbine which offers high-efficiency, high-reliability and low-maintenance. The H-100 is ideally suited as a main refrigeration compressor driver for large scale LNG plants with any liquefaction process. The H-100 gas turbine’s high availability, robust and simple industrial design requiring no external helper motor or intercooler, contributes to footprint and space savings, the company said. The H-100 is designed to offer operational flexibility, including broad variable-speed operation, shortened start-up time and full pressure re-starting of the refrigeration compressors, eliminating the need to flare refrigerant. The H-100 is the industry leader in low nitrogen oxide (single digit parts per million) emissions for full-load and mechanical drive operation utilizing Mitsubishi’s latest combustor technology.