UPDATE 2-Shell delays Qatargas 4 LNG plant by a year

Mon Nov 23, 2009 5:46pm GMT


By Tom Bergin

LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) said it had delayed one of its largest schemes by around a year with start-up for the $8 billion Qatargas 4 liquefied natural gas project now planned for late 2010 and the first cargo possibly pushed into 2011.

The delay, which a Shell spokeswoman said was due to contractors struggling to keep up with the pace of developments in Qatar's gas industry, will make it harder for the Anglo-Dutch oil major to turn around a long run of falling production.

"We had been planning for a start-up in early 2010 but now we expect that to come in late 2010," the spokeswoman said on Monday, adding the slippage represented a delay of 10 months.

She declined to say when first cargoes would load but a statement from the company said ramp-up of the project could continue into 2011, raising the prospect the facility may not be in a position to load ships until then.

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKGEE5AM1NM20091123

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