FLNG—a quiet revolution
Shell and Petronas pushed the technology first, but African developers are poised to transform the continent into an FLNG production hub
The time has come to find out if liquefaction for floating liquefied natural gas is all it's cracked up to be. Several high-profile projects are in development—and one of the principal test beds will be sub-Saharan Africa, now a magnet for investment in the fledgling sector. Two of the world's first major FLNG projects are elsewhere—Petronas's PFLNG Satu facility, capable of processing 1.2m tonnes a year, is already operating in Malaysia, and Shell's giant 3.6m-t/y Prelude project should start production offshore Western Australia next year. But around 30% of global capital expenditure on FLNG over the next six years is planned for projects operating in Africa. Engineers are confident the te

Also in this section
2 April 2025
At some point it is likely that $70/bl will be quietly accepted as the producer-consumer sweet spot for a US administration having to balance both sides of the ledger
1 April 2025
There is method to the US president’s apparent madness, and those seeking to understand need look no further than their local bookshop
1 April 2025
Strong economic growth targets are encouraging for the country’s energy demand growth, even if meeting those goals might be a tall order
28 March 2025
The Central Asian country is positioning itself as a low-carbon leader, but antiquated infrastructure and a dependence on Russia are holding it back