On the 31st of May 2023, Basrah Gas Company (BGC) inaugurated train-1 of the Basrah Natural Gas Liquefaction Plant (BNGL) in Aratwi – Basrah, in the presence of His Excellency Iraq Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil – Mr. Hayyan Abdul Ghani.
BNGL is an important growth project not only for the BGC but for the energy sector in Iraq. The plant consists of two gas processing units with a capacity of 200mmscf/d each, when both trains are on stream the plant will add 400mmscf/d, elevating BGC’s gas processing capacity to 1400mmscf/d in total.
Through BNGL’s operations, it will be possible to eliminate an additional 10million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere (gas gathered and processed otherwise flared), with which will further contribute to minimizing negative environmental impacts.
His Excellency the Minister of Oil, Mr. Hayyan Abdul Ghani, commented on this occasion: “Today is an important milestone, as we inaugurate the first phase of the Basrah Natural Gas Liquefaction Plant with a capacity of 200mmscf/d. This project will contribute to reducing gas flaring and supports a greener environment which is part of our vision. Our focus remains on gas projects, aiming at gathering larger volumes of natural associated gas from oil fields, and we have taken significant steps in the implementation phase which holds a priority in our governmental programs. Turning this wasted resource into a cleaner energy to support our national grid with 320mmcf/d is very essential in providing approx. 1900MW of electricity, in addition to 2150 tons of LPG per day.
In parallel Andrew Wiper, BGC Managing Director also added: “We are extremely honored and pleased to inaugurate train-1 of the BNGL plant with the presence of H.E. Minister of Oil, Mr. Hayyan Abdulghani. This is a state-of-the art greenfield project and a new chapter in our growth journey. Our flagship project will play a pivotal role in increasing our processing capacity by 40%. This success would not have been possible without the partnership, support and faith of the Government of Iraq, our shareholders and of course our employees. This comes hand in hand with our aspiration and commitment to the Government of Iraq to further invest and harness in Iraq’s natural gas natural resources supporting progress the country’s energy sector and to drive economic development.”
The BNGL plant has been designed in line with its readiness required to capture additional gas in the future, including power generation, water management and Sulphur treatment facilities. BNGL consists of two trains once fully commission will increase BGC’s processing capacity to 1400mmscf/d, which in turn will provide more dry gas for power generation and more liquids for exports generating more revenue stream for the country.
It is worth mentioning that BGC is processing more than 3 times more gas compared to when it was established back in 2013 – and has managed to prevent to date more than 160MT of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. With BNGL fully on stream, will support to prevent an additional 10MT of CO2, increasing BGC’s ability to eliminate approximately 30MT of CO2 per year.
BNGL will be providing 320mmscf/d of dry gas which will in turn generate 1900MW of electricity to support the national grid, 2150 tons/day of LPG as well as 5900 barrels of condensate.
