BW Offshore's new floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO) BW Opal has achieved first gas on Saturday, September 20, after successfully reaching ready for start-up for the Santos-operated Barossa LNG project off Australia on September 16, initiating 60 per cent of the contractual day rate under the charter.
BW Offshore said that first gas represents a critical juncture in the formal transition from project to operations phase and demonstrates the company's readiness to deliver stable energy production.
The next phase is the interim performance test, which BW Offshore expects will increase the payable day rate to 85 per cent. After that, practical completion will conclude the delivery phase, trigger 100 per cent of the day rate, and mark the commencement of the 15-year firm contract period.
BW Opal is designed to process 850 million standard cubic feet (24 million cubic metres) of gas per day and with a capacity of 11,000 barrels per day of stabilised condensate. The FPSO will operate in the Barossa gas field located 285 kilometres offshore Darwin.