First Natural Gas Plant Begins Operation in Vietnam
Vietnam's first natural gas plant designed and constructed by NKK and Samsung Engineering Co., Ltd. (SECL) of Republic of Korea recently went into full operation. The two companies jointly received the full-turnkey order for the plant from Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (PetroVietnam) in mid-1997. Built in Dinh Co, 80 kilometers southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, the plant using the turbo-expander process liquefies propane, butane and condensate in order to separate them from the associated gas generated in the White Tiger off-shore oil field. The plant's capacity to produce the liquefied petroleum gas--at 330,000 tons a year--well exceeds Vietnam's annual gas consumption volume of 180,000 tons. The plant has been scheduled to be expanded in three stages, with the first stage having been completed 12 months after the contract. In this first natural gas utilization project in Vietnam, NKK was responsible for the process design, basic instrumentation design, procurement of telecommunication systems, operational guidance, personnel training, and commissioning of the plant. This is the fourth natural gas plant project overseas for NKK, following those in India, Thailand and Pakistan. Drawing on its long record of achievements, the company intends to be actively involved in energy-related plant projects in Asian countries in partnership with Korean engineering firms. |
