Curtis Island LNG plant for Santos closer to completion

Australian energy company Santos said Friday some of the final sections of a processing unit for a liquefied natural gas plant on Curtis Island have arrived.

Santos announced two giant steel structures weighing in at more than 2,800 tons arrived from a Philippines construction facility for the LNG processing units on Curtis Island.

"We're leading the way in developing Queensland's natural gas industry and with activities across our business progressing well, we're on track for first LNG next year," Rob Duke, a downstream director for Santos, said in a statement.

U.S. construction company Bechtel installed part of the first half of two so-called production trains for the facility in July.

Santos leads the $18.5 billion project designed to convert coal seam natural gas to LNG for exports to the global market.

The project is fed by a 260-mile underground pipeline from the Bowen and Surat basins in Queensland. Santos says first deliveries of LNG are scheduled for next year.