ExxonMobil Plans World's Biggest FLNG Facility

SYDNEY - ExxonMobil Corp. laid out plans for a development using the world's biggest floating natural gas processing plant, in a technically challenging move that underscores its bullish view on Asian demand for the fuel.

Exxon and partner BHP Billiton Ltd. want to anchor a vessel extending 495 meters--the equivalent of around five football pitches--at sea to tap into the remote Scarborough natural gas field offshore Western Australia. They're seeking government approval for the multibillion dollar project, and targeting first production as early as 2020.

Floating liquefied natural gas technology, known as FLNG, is untried but has captured the attention of some of the world's biggest energy companies seeking to access gas fields that are too small or remote to develop using pipelines and onshore facilities. Royal Dutch Shell PLC is a leading proponent of FLNG vessels, which it plans to deploy in Australia and possibly elsewhere.

The relative calm of the waters off Australia's northeastern coastline make the country a strong candidate to accommodate the world's first FLNG vessels. Its stable political environment and proximity to Asian markets that have a growing appetite for fuels that are cleaner than coal when burnt are also drawcards. According to the International Energy Agency, China's natural gas demand alone will more than quadruple to 545 billion cubic meters between 2011 and 2035.

However, companies like Exxon need to ensure their vessels can withstand stormy seas. One main concern is that the forces generated by liquefied gas sloshing in partially filled containers can damage the storage system. That issue is being addressed with containers designed to minimize sloshing and with elaborate anchoring systems that limit the movement of vessels in the water.

Exxon's proposed facility would produce between 6 million and 7 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, a year for several decades. The Scarborough resource was discovered in 1979 and is estimated to hold up to 10 trillion cubic feet of gas--equal to more than a third of the U.S.'s annual gas consumption.

Early design work would begin next year, ahead of a final investment decision in 2014-15, Exxon said in a filing to the federal government's environment department. A Melbourne-based spokeswoman for Exxon said FLNG has "the capacity to reduce our capital costs by removing the need for infrastructure" and has a smaller environmental footprint.

With close to a dozen natural-gas export terminals planned for its coastline, Australia is poised to leapfrog Qatar as the world's top exporter of LNG by the end of the decade. LNG is natural gas chilled to a liquid so that it can be shipped by tanker.

The industry, however, is facing increasing cost headwinds driven by a strong local currency and a shortage of skilled labor. Underscoring these challenges, Chevron Corp. and smaller joint venture partners including Exxon and Shell said in December the cost of building their giant Gorgon LNG project on the Western Australian coast had blown out by a fifth to 52 billion Australian dollars (US$54.4 billion).

The budget overruns come as Australia becomes increasingly likely to face rising competition from emerging gas-export industries in North America and Africa, which could make it tougher to secure customers.

FLNG is often touted by company executives as a means of mitigating cost pressures because much of the construction process occurs offshore in countries with cheaper sources of labor. Companies also don't have to pay for acquiring and clearing land.

"For some of the more economically challenged gas resources out there, floating LNG is going to take on a much higher profile," said Andrew Williams, a Melbourne-based energy analyst at RBC Capital Markets.

In 2011, Shell committed to use a FLNG vessel to process natural gas from its Prelude field in the Browse Basin offshore northwestern Australia. The vessel is due to begin producing 3.6 million tons of LNG each year from 2017.

Shell estimated that its project would cost between US$3 billion and US$3.5 billion for every 1 million tons of production capacity, or between US$10.8 billion and US$12.6 billion.

In its filing Tuesday, Exxon didn't estimate a cost for its Scarborough development.

Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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ExxonMobil Plans World's Biggest FLNG Facility

SYDNEY - ExxonMobil Corp. laid out plans for a development using the world's biggest floating natural gas processing plant, in a technically challenging move that underscores its bullish view on Asian demand for the fuel.

Exxon and partner BHP Billiton Ltd. want to anchor a vessel extending 495 meters--the equivalent of around five football pitches--at sea to tap into the remote Scarborough natural gas field offshore Western Australia. They're seeking government approval for the multibillion dollar project, and targeting first production as early as 2020.

Floating liquefied natural gas technology, known as FLNG, is untried but has captured the attention of some of the world's biggest energy companies seeking to access gas fields that are too small or remote to develop using pipelines and onshore facilities. Royal Dutch Shell PLC is a leading proponent of FLNG vessels, which it plans to deploy in Australia and possibly elsewhere.

The relative calm of the waters off Australia's northeastern coastline make the country a strong candidate to accommodate the world's first FLNG vessels. Its stable political environment and proximity to Asian markets that have a growing appetite for fuels that are cleaner than coal when burnt are also drawcards. According to the International Energy Agency, China's natural gas demand alone will more than quadruple to 545 billion cubic meters between 2011 and 2035.

However, companies like Exxon need to ensure their vessels can withstand stormy seas. One main concern is that the forces generated by liquefied gas sloshing in partially filled containers can damage the storage system. That issue is being addressed with containers designed to minimize sloshing and with elaborate anchoring systems that limit the movement of vessels in the water.

Exxon's proposed facility would produce between 6 million and 7 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, a year for several decades. The Scarborough resource was discovered in 1979 and is estimated to hold up to 10 trillion cubic feet of gas--equal to more than a third of the U.S.'s annual gas consumption.

Early design work would begin next year, ahead of a final investment decision in 2014-15, Exxon said in a filing to the federal government's environment department. A Melbourne-based spokeswoman for Exxon said FLNG has "the capacity to reduce our capital costs by removing the need for infrastructure" and has a smaller environmental footprint.

With close to a dozen natural-gas export terminals planned for its coastline, Australia is poised to leapfrog Qatar as the world's top exporter of LNG by the end of the decade. LNG is natural gas chilled to a liquid so that it can be shipped by tanker.

The industry, however, is facing increasing cost headwinds driven by a strong local currency and a shortage of skilled labor. Underscoring these challenges, Chevron Corp. and smaller joint venture partners including Exxon and Shell said in December the cost of building their giant Gorgon LNG project on the Western Australian coast had blown out by a fifth to 52 billion Australian dollars (US$54.4 billion).

The budget overruns come as Australia becomes increasingly likely to face rising competition from emerging gas-export industries in North America and Africa, which could make it tougher to secure customers.

FLNG is often touted by company executives as a means of mitigating cost pressures because much of the construction process occurs offshore in countries with cheaper sources of labor. Companies also don't have to pay for acquiring and clearing land.

"For some of the more economically challenged gas resources out there, floating LNG is going to take on a much higher profile," said Andrew Williams, a Melbourne-based energy analyst at RBC Capital Markets.

In 2011, Shell committed to use a FLNG vessel to process natural gas from its Prelude field in the Browse Basin offshore northwestern Australia. The vessel is due to begin producing 3.6 million tons of LNG each year from 2017.

Shell estimated that its project would cost between US$3 billion and US$3.5 billion for every 1 million tons of production capacity, or between US$10.8 billion and US$12.6 billion.

In its filing Tuesday, Exxon didn't estimate a cost for its Scarborough development.

Copyright (c) 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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Abu Dhabi Invites More International Firms to Bid for Biggest Oil Fields

DUBAI - Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., or Adnoc, has invited several international oil firms, in addition to existing partners, to bid for the renewal of a shared license to operate some of the emirate's largest onshore oil fields, two people familiar with the matter said.

U.S.-based firms Chevron Corp. and Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY), China National Petroleum Corp., or CNPC, Japan's Inpex Corp., Korea National Oil Corp., or KNOC, Norway's Statoil ASA and Russia's OAO Rosneft were among the new companies invited, the people said.

The 75-year-old concession, which expires at the end of the year, produces more than half the United Arab Emirates crude production of 2.6 million barrels a day and is one of the few major oil-producing areas in the Persian Gulf where international companies hold a stake.

Without an invitation, the companies would not have an opportunity to be involved in the concession as the emirate does not open the competition to any bidder.

Adnoc holds a 60% controlling stake in Abu Dhabi Co. for Onshore Oil Operations, or Adco, which operates the concession. The remaining 40% is shared between BP PLC, Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Total SA and Partex Oil & Gas.

Adnoc has already invited all existing partners except for Partex to reapply for the concession.

In addition, "Adnoc is interested in getting new partners in the concession and therefore they sent invitation letters to several companies back in June," a person close to the matter told Dow Jones Newswires. "More people could be allowed later but it is a good way to see who has the right criteria to bid."

Chevron, Statoil, Rosneft, and CNPC would not say whether they had received the invitations.

KNOC said it has submitted documents for the preliminary qualification review and is waiting to hear back from Adnoc.

An Inpex spokesman would not comment on any specific project but said that the company intends to expand its presence in Abu Dhabi.

Occidental Petroleum did not respond to requests for comment.

Adnoc has already proposed to Abu Dhabi's highest oil authority, the Supreme Petroleum Council, a one-year extension to the concession, saying the next 10 months aren't enough time to complete a new deal with international partners. The council is expected to approve the extension soon.

The Adco concession, which covers six main deposits, is the largest in the country with capacity to produce about 1.5 million barrels daily. The United Arab Emirates, which includes Abu Dhabi, plans to increase its output capacity to 3.5 million barrels a day by 2017, from its current estimated maximum output capacity of around 2.85 million barrels a day.

Abu Dhabi is home to more than 90% of crude in the U.A.E., one of few Middle East countries that allow foreign companies to explore for and produce oil within its borders. The Gulf state has four major concessions and has said it may allow more foreign companies, such as from South Korea and China, to be partners in other, more marginal, oil fields.

In-Soo Nam in Seoul, Mari Iwata in Tokyo, James Marson in Moscow, Kjetil Malkenes-Hovland in Oslo, Wayne Ma in Beijing and Ben Lefebvre in Houston contributed to this story.

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Forbes: Big Oil = Biggest Taxpayers

Check out this informative post by Forbes’ Christopher Helman, who notes that Nos. 1, 2 and 3 on the magazine’s list of companies that paid the most in income taxes in 2011 were … energy companies.

That might surprise some people, given White House rhetoric about oil and natural gas companies not paying their “fair share.” It turns out Big Oil is the country’s Biggest Taxpayer. Here’s how Forbes’ data looks in a chart:

As you can see by the blue line, ExxonMobil ($27.3 billion), Chevron ($17.4 billion) and ConocoPhillips ($10.6 billion) occupy the top three spots in Forbes’ income-tax-paying ranking. Occidental Petroleum comes in at No. 18 ($2.9 billion).

Now check the chart’s red line. It shows that all four energy companies’ effective tax rates topped 40 percent – ExxonMobil 42 percent, Chevron 43.3 percent, ConocoPhillips 45.6 percent and Occidental 40.2 percent. Helman:

“And income taxes isn’t even the half of it–literally. Exxon also recorded more than $70 billion last year in sales taxes ($33.5 billion) and other taxes and duties ($43.5 billion). But none of that will matter to the president if gasoline prices keep climbing. Having been blocked on his Big Oil tax hike, don’t be surprised if in the heat of the summer driving season he calls for a windfall profits tax on oil companies. The very concept implies that the companies are earning an unfairly high return. Sure Exxon’s and Chevron’s net incomes are high. But so are their revenues! Exxon’s revenues were $486 billion and Chevron’s were $254 billion. That implies an average net margin of just 10%.”

Helman continues:

“Compare that with the $33 billion that Apple made in 2011 on $128 billion in revenues and Microsoft‘s $23 billion income on $72 billion in sales. Those margins are 26% and 32%. And yet Apple enjoyed a low effective tax rate of 25% and paid a relatively meager $4 billion in income taxes, putting it in ninth place on our list of the biggest U.S. corporate taxpayers, while Microsoft had an effective rate of just 16% and paid $5.3 billion, placing it sixth.”

The point is that America’s oil and natural gas companies pay their fair share, more than $86 million a day in rents, royalties and income taxes, yet regularly are singled out by the administration for tax increases – the unfairness of which doesn’t seem to register with a White House that spends so much time talking about fairness.

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