The initial development comprises three wellheads, a normally unmanned offshore platform, a 30 km pipeline to shore, an onshore production station near Hawera and oil storage facilities at New Plymouth.
Beca was contracted to Technip, Origin Energy's Alliance partner, to provide civil, structural and geotechnical engineering services for the onshore plant. The plant processes raw gas to meet the specification for the main North Island gas transmission system and separates out the light oil/condensate and liquid petroleum gas (LPG).
The civil design work included stormwater and oily water treatment systems (wetland systems) as well as fire water storage ponds. The Beca team also designed the roading, fencing and landscaping for the site, in conjunction with the landscaping contractor.
Structural design work included a variety of industrial buildings with control areas and multilevel equipment structures such as piping and cable racks and platforms. Interestingly, a significant amount of the piping and support structures were prefabricated further afield and transported to New Plymouth.
Beca and client teams from New Zealand, Perth and Kuala Lumpur successfully collaborated on a 3D model of the large plant with all its components.
Challenges included a rapid construction program due to the fast-tracked nature of the project, which meant undertaking detailed design well in advance of the process and mechanical design. Full steady state production for the facility was achieved in December 2009, showcasing Beca's growing capabilities in this industry.