Petrobras is preparing to hold talks with Saipem, the low bidder for its potential floating liquefaction unit.
A formal order for an FLNG unit is several years away at least as the Brazilian company plans to tender for a third pipeline to export natural gas from its Atlantic Ocean pre-salt province from 2013.
Saipem submitted a price of $3.29 billion for a liquefaction floater alongside Hyundai Heavy Industries.
The second-placed bid of $3.8 billion was lodged by a joint venture of Technip, Modec and JGC.
Negotiations are expected to start with Saipem imminently under the customary cost-trimming exercise.
“There is still a chance that Petrobras may switch back to an FLNG solution, but demand is such that you will probably see a first contract in place within two or three years anyway,” an industry source commented.
“Petrobras needs to come up with additional gas-handling solutions for every four or five (crude oil) floating production, storage and offloading vessels added, and this is likely to happen every four years,” another industry source said.
