In September 2022, Renergen launched what it said was South Africa’s first commercial LNG production plant as part of the first phase of its Virginia gas and helium development.
The company, which is being acquired by US-based ASP Isotopes, announced on Wednesday that preferred bidder status had been awarded to the He4u consortium for the design, procurement, delivery, construction, and commissioning for phase 2 of the Tetra4 LNG and helium liquefaction project.
The consortium consists of Chart Industries, Wilson Bayly Holmes – Ovcon, and Aure Constructors.
Renergen said the appointment of an acceptable EPC contractor in Phase 2 was one of the two remaining conditions for the DFC Phase 2 loan.
Moreover, the award confirms that Chart Industries’ helium liquefier and LNG liquefaction technologies have been selected as Tetra4’s preferred technical solution for the implementation of Phase 2 of the Virginia gas project.
Stefano Marani, CEO of Renergen, said that the appointment of the consortium ,when combined with Worley who will be responsible to manage and oversee the contractors in official capacity as owners engineer, reduces the execution risk “tremendously” on Phase 2.
“This represents another major milestone, and one of very few remaining towards commencement of construction of Phase 2,” he said.
Two phases
According to Renergen’s website, Phase 1 of the project has been divided into three stages to allow for a measured startup while the plant ramps up to nameplate capacity of 2,560 MMBtu of LNG per day and around 75 mcf of liquid helium.
The second phase involves expanding its current operations through several key initiatives.
This includes drilling approximately 350-450 new productive wells, and constructing a natural gas gathering network of pipes.
Additionally, a significantly larger processing and liquefaction facility is planned, capable of producing 32,600 MMBtu per day of LNG and 894 mcf per day of liquid helium, according to Renergen.
To support distribution, Renergen will deploy a fleet of at least 35 road tankers, servicing 30 downstream customer dispensing facilities.
