OIL
& GAS
Siemens High-speed Direct Drive
for U.K. Gas Compressor

The Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services Group (I&S) received an order from Rolls-Royce Power Generation plc to supply an electric direct drive for a gas compressor in Felindre, South Wales. The final customer is the British gas supplier, National Grid (NG), London. The gearless variable-speed drive has an output of 35 MW and its speed can be varied between 2280 and 5040 r/min. Siemens is responsible for the design, manufacture and supply of the complete drive system, including transformer, line filter, frequency converter, synchronous motor and cooling system. Siemens will also commission the system, which is planned for September 2008. The order is worth approximately US$8 million.

The new compressor station at Felindre is a part of the expansion of the U.K. national gas transmission system. It will enable natural gas from two new LNG receiving terminals currently under construction in Milford Haven to be connected to the 7000 km national transmission system operated by National Grid. A

BY MIKE MERCER

Atlas Copco LNG
Technology Order

Atlas Copco has won an order in partnership with marine specialist Hamworthy Gas Systems from South Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering comprising next-generation systems for the reliquefaction of LNG onboard seven vessels. In total, 14 nitrogen Atlas Copco com-

panders (a three-stage nitrogen compressor coupled with an expansion turbine) and 14 boil-off-gas compressors will be delivered during 2008. Atlas Copco has partnered for many years with Hamworthy and the two companies have worked jointly in developing a next-generation LNG reliquefaction process and have carried out numerous LNG projects worldwide. A

Flotech Lands Gas
Compressor Contract

Auckland, New Zealand-based engineering company Flotech has won a contract worth US$7 million to build gas compressors for a power plant in Pakistan. The company will build three compressors — in partnership with the Greek firm Metka — that will be engineered in New Zealand and assembled in Singapore, then installed in Karachi, Pakistan, in June of 2007.

Founded 20 years ago, about 80% of Flotech’s revenue is derived from making gas compression equipment used in electricity generation and in the oil and gas industry. The company also makes equipment for bio-gas plants and heat-exchange equipment. According to Flotech Director Steve Rowntree, the company has doubled in size in each of the past three years. Flotech has offices in Australia, Singapore and Sweden as well as Auckland, where it employs about 100 staff. A