MAN Energy Solutions and Woodside Energy – a pioneer of the Australian LNG industry – have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at commercialising an innovative solution for small-to-mid scale LNG production. Known as Factory LNG, the technology combines Woodside’s intellectual property and LNG experience with MAN’s global manufacturing and project-execution expertise.

The concept involves a nominal 0.05 Mtpa unit, the size of 40-foot ISO shipping container, that can be transported via standard heavy-lift shipping and trucking logistics. It also includes MAN’s HOFIM^® high-speed, oil-free, integrated motor-compressor technology as used, for example, in subsea compression-station applications.

Factory LNG offers 10 years’ low-to-no touch maintenance and provides flexible layout options making it easily adaptable to site constraints. The partners believe the newly developed infrastructure has the potential to unlock liquefaction capabilities at multiple locations around the globe. The system is designed and manufactured to be scalable so customers can increase the number of Factory LNG units used as the market grows, delivering LNG at pace with demand.

Wayne Jones OBE, Chief Sales Officer and Member of the Executive Board of MAN Energy Solutions, said: “I’m very excited about our new alliance with Australia’s leading natural gas producer Woodside Energy. Liquefied natural gas represents an essential bridging technology towards a carbon-free future. With our new solution, LNG can be broadly applied, opening up significant potential for customers worldwide. It can be used to add capacity to existing production, or to create an LNG hub for marine, land transport or other industry needs, unhindered by traditional location-constraints.”

“Factory LNG’s design paves the way for reduced manufacturing costs and shorter construction timeframes compared to traditional stick-built or modular LNG trains. The solution incorporates the complementary knowledge and skill sets of MAN Energy Solutions and Woodside Energy, which have experience in the development, manufacture and production of innovative technologies, as well as the deployment and operation of LNG facilities,” said Basil Zweifel, Senior Vice President Sales & Project Management Upstream & Midstream at MAN Energy Solutions.

Woodside Vice President Technology Jason Crusan described it as a simple and reliable solution for end users, offering an attractive and accessible option for displacing fuels such as diesel with cleaner and cheaper LNG. “Woodside sees an important role for natural gas in a lower-carbon future. We are committed to diversifying markets for LNG, including as a lower-emissions fuel for activities such as trucking and shipping.The Factory LNG system also brings potential for green fuel production by coupling it with synthetic methane units or bio-gas production.”