Joel Cantrell of Bryan Research & Engineering and Clay Jones of INEOS GAS/SPEC re-evaluate the historical practice of intentionally adding strong base such as caustic (NaOH) to amine with the purpose of improving performance and reducing corrosion by “neutralising” heat stable amine salts (HSAS) which have accumulated in the amine.
CSV Midstream Solutions says that it has successfully completed commissioning and commenced operations at its Albright gas plant in northern Alberta, tapping into the Montney shale gas field. The new 150 million scf/d sour gas plant with associated sulphur recovery represents the first of its kind to be built in Alberta in more than a generation.
First gas from Abu Dhabi’s 1.5 billion cfd Ghasha sour gas concession will be reached in early 2026, according to project partner PTTEP. The gas will come from the first phase 340 million cfd Dalma development. The Ghasha project is being developed by ADNOC (70%), Eni (10%), Thailand’s PTTEP (10%) and Russia’s Lukoil (10%). The outlook, published in PTTEP’s Q3 results, is a more cautious assessment than that provided by Eni in its own Q3 results. Eni said it was optimistic that the development would start up by the end of 2025.
India’s Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) has won a $225.5 million contract from the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) for setting up a new gas sweetening and sulphur recovery facility at West Kuwait oilfields. The project, to be developed on a build-own-operate basis with a buyback option for KOC, includes design, construction, operation and maintenance. It will be completed in two years, followed by a five-year operation and maintenance phase.
Sulphur output in North America continues to decline due to refinery closures and conversions at the same time that acid demand is increasing for metals processing projects.
Fluor explores the versatile potential of oxygen enrichment for various revamp and debottlenecking opportunities.
Advanced SRUs and decarbonisation technologies position LNG for net-zero goals by 2050. Mahin Rameshni and Stephen Santo of RATE USA review sulphur management strategies for LNG, from ppm-level H2 S scavenging and non-conventional liquid redox to Claus SRUs, and introduces RATE’s patented technologies to achieve >99.9% recovery, operational stability, and decarbonisation alignment amid regulatory and market challenges.
MEScon 2025 took place in Abu Dhabi from 19-22 May 2025, providing delegates with renewed energy, new connections, and fresh ideas to apply across the sulphur value chain.
PetroChina has started production at Dukouhe-Qilibei, the last of three major sour gas fields in its high-sulphur Chuandongbei cluster in southwest China. The Dukouhe-Qilibei field’s hydrogen sulphide content reaches up to 17.1%, the highest of any integrated gas field currently in production in China. PetroChina confirmed that commissioning was completed on 30 June, with the Dazhou gas processing plant now running at its full design capacity of 4 million cubic metres per day. The Chuandongbei cluster originally comprised three key sour gas block: Luojiazhai, Tieshanpo, and Dukouhe-Qilibei, and was initially developed under a partnership between Chevron and PetroChina, with Chevron leading the early-phase project development. However, Chevron exited the project in 2020, transferring full control to PetroChina following operational delays and cost challenges. PetroChina says that the completion of Dukouhe-Qilibei solidifies its capabilities in handling high-sulphur content gas fields and marks a significant boost to China’s domestic gas supply, particularly in inland regions with growing industrial demand. n
TotalEnergies has awarded the China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC) the engineering, procurement, supply, construction and commissioning (EPSCC) contract to build its new Ar-Ratawi gas processing plant in Iraq. CPECC subsidiary China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering will build two midstream gas pipelines connecting the Majnoon and West Qurna 2 oilfields to Artawi-based processing plant. The planned gas pipeline infrastructure comprises a 114-kilometre sour gas pipeline built with 26-inch diameter pipes, an 83-kilometre, 20-inch sour gas pipeline, and an 83-kilometre, 20-inch sour gas pipeline. The awards form part of the TotalEnergies-led Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP) in Iraq, which is valued at $10 billion.