Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has advanced its position as an industry leader for gas compression equipment on major natural gas pipelines with a recent contract award from PetroChina, the largest oil and gas producer in China.
The West-East Pipeline Project (WEPP) is the world’s longest natural gas pipeline and this order will take the number of Rolls-Royce RB211 gas turbine compressor packages installed on this pipeline and associated feed and
branch lines to 45. This order follows contract awards over the past five years for other major gas pipelines in India, Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan, North America and Algeria.
Valued at $65m, the contract is for six RB211 gas turbine compressor packages to be installed on one of China’s most important and expensive energy projects, WEPP Line 2. The gas turbine units will be installed at two
new compressor stations along the 2,400km (1,500 mile) Eastern section of the line. They will join six RB211 units currently being installed along the 2,450km Western section and 19 RB211 compressor sets already in service
on WEPP Line 1.
Tony Ruegger, Rolls-Royce, executive vice-president – Oil & Gas, said, “We are delighted that once again PetroChina has put their trust in Rolls-Royce technology for this vital gas pipeline. The 19 RB211 packages currently operating in China have been in service for nearly half-a-million hours, with the longest running engine achieving over 34,000 hours. Using Rolls-Royce aero engine technology, these gas turbine packages continue to provide very high levels of performance and reliability.”
WEPP Line 2 will have a total length of 8,859km made up of one main trunk line of 4,859km and eight sub-lines. It will transport 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas every year from reserves in Central Asia, across 15 provinces to
major regions such as Zhejiang, Shanghai, Guangdong and Hong Kong. This country-wide distribution of gas will help boost China’s clean energy consumption, saving an expected 11 million tonnes of coal usage every year and thereby reducing harmful emissions.
The centrifugal gas pipeline compressors for the six new RB211 gas turbine packages will be model RFBB-36, also designed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce.
All of the equipment for the WEPP Line 2 Eastern section is scheduled for delivery by the fourth quarter of 2011.