NiQuan Marches Towards Start Up

Photo taken 17 Novemer 2021

NiQuan Energy has been working assiduously with its contractors and is well advanced to complete all necessary safety processes items according to Hazard and Operability Analysis (HAZOP) and Layers of Protection Analysis (LOPA) standards, in preparation for the restart of the GTL Plant.

Once all safety measures have been implemented and accepted by NiQuan’s Engineer of Record, the plant will be brought back up to full commercial operation producing at a nameplate capacity of 2400bpd. The target date for that accomplishment is now set for 1st quarter 2022. 

NiQuan is also working with all the regulatory bodies––Ministry of Energy & Energy Industries (MoEEI), OSH, EMA, et al––as this is standard to becoming operational. The MoEEI regulatory process is not unique to NiQuan but is the norm for all plants in the industry. Consistent with this requirement is the appointment of a Certified Verification Agent (CVA) who is the MoEEI’s representative on the plant to ensure all plant and process works meets all applicable codes and standards as they are being implemented. 

This is essentially a verification authority for assurance on behalf of the MoEEI. The CVA has been working with NiQuan since 2019.

As NiQuan completes required works and begins to re-start the plant, the MoEEI will issue provisional approvals on a step-by-step basis––from the Company bringing gas onto site, to lighting the boiler, through the reformer, FT Reactors, all the way to storage of product in the NiQuan tanks with final approval only being provided after the plant is fully up and running. For example, when NiQuan needed approval for the reintroduction of natural gas to the boiler to carry out steam cleaning of various vessels and piping just after the incident, the Company provided documents and received the appropriate provisional approval.

NiQuan is committed not only to being a Clean Energy Company but also to the safety of its’ plant, people and community.