ABB completes the tallest e-houses on a floating LNG facility

With a height of a five-storey building, the world’s tallest, single lift prefabricated electrical structures — or e-houses — for offshore use are being installed on a floating liquefied natural gas facility (FLNG). The installation, for Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), is also the world’s first commercial floating LNG facility featuring ABB e-houses which are used to manage the electrical requirements.

This is Petronas’s second floating liquefied natural gas (PFLNG 2) facility and will be moored over the deepwater Rotan gas field, located off the Malaysian coast.

In addition to its size, the project was completed with a record of two million man-hours with zero time lost to injury. A priority for safety has also been embedded into the future operations of the facility by incorporating the latest technologies adapted to corrosive offshore environments. The fully engineered electrical system contained within the e-house will include transformers, switchboards, motor-control centres and ABB’s Process Power Manager that ensures reliable and stable electricity supply to the FLNG facility.

The two e-houses are currently en-route to Samsung Heavy Industries’ yard in Geoje, Korea, for installation on the vessel.

“ABB’s long history of pioneering new technologies and expertise in the automation field is a perfect match for the floating LNG market,” said ABB Managing Director for Oil, Gas and Chemicals Per Erik Holsten. “From concept to realisation, our engineered solution is one of the optimised factors that allow oil and gas companies to exploit fields that are traditionally deemed as uneconomical. The PFLNG 2 project is also a testimonial of our commitment to stakeholders on safety, quality and customer satisfaction, irrespective of the magnitude of the project.”

PFLNG 2 will enable the liquefaction, production and offloading of natural gas in the Rotan field and produce 1.5 million tonnes of LNG each year. The non-propelled vessel will be moored using an external turret.