Shell to restart Prelude LNG output off Australia

Shell has been cleared by the Australian offshore regulator to restart  operations at its Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project, which has been shut after a power outage in December.

The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (Nopsema) cleared Shell on Friday. The company confirmed to Reuters on Monday. 

"We continue to work methodically through the stages in the process to prepare for hydrocarbon restart with safety and stability foremost in mind,” a Shell spokesperson told Reuters on Monday.

Shell reported early December that its Prelude outages were hit by a power outage which led to further hikes in prices of the LNG.

The failure to restore power was seen as a potential risk to the health and safety of the personnel which led the regulator to shut it down on the basis that the power failures affected the facility’s emergency response capability etc.