UK-based GE Oil & Gas and French company Technip have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop digital solutions aimed at expediting the delivery of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects.
Under the MoU, the companies will primarily focus on the design and build phase.
GE Oil & Gas turbomachinery solutions president and CEO Rod Christie said: "Combining our complementary areas of expertise allows us to explore new digital capabilities for LNG that can be applied from the design and build phases all the way through to the operational phases.
"By embedding digital thinking at the very beginning of project development, we are truly building the digital future of oil and gas."
GE and Technip will also jointly work to evaluate the application of digital solutions to the engineering, construction, commissioning, startup as well as operation of the LNG facilities.
All these solutions will cover Technip and GE’s knowledge in digital tools and would be powered by GE’s cloud-based operating system Predix.
GE Oil & Gas chief digital officer Matthias Heilmann said: "While we’re seeing digital solutions grow in operations, digitising the design and build phases of projects will unleash an entirely new set of opportunities.
"Expanding digital into planning phases will enable operators to optimise machines, facilities and operations from the very start. This will provide tremendous speed in execution, shortening project delivery schedules."
As global gas demand rises and stretches into new markets, the volume of LNG traded globally is expected to double by 2035.
Image: GE and Technip will explore digital solutions for new LNG projects. Photo: courtesy of General Electric.
