MOL, as the operator of TAL Block in Pakistan, has made a new gas and condensate discovery. This marks the company’s 13th discovery in Pakistan and the 10^th discovery in the TAL Block.   

The Mamikhel South-1 exploratory well successfully reached a total depth of 4,939 m on 23 May 2020. Upon testing the well flowed gas and condensate from Lockhart & Hangu formation at a flow rate of 6516 boepd (16.12 MMscf/d and 3240 bpd respectively), with flowing well-head pressure of 4,476 PSI at 32/64” choke.  Further testing of the well is ongoing.    

• MOL as an operator discovered significant gas and condensate reserves in Pakistan  
• This is the 13^th discovery of MOL in Pakistan during the last 21 years since the company is present in the country  

• MOL Pakistan is a highly successful operator and an important contributor to Pakistan’s energy security, in addition, employs more than 400 people  
• It’s the 2^nd time in 3 months that MOL discovers hydrocarbon reserves - in March 2020 MOL Norge discovered oil and gas in the North Sea  

MOL aims to transform its E&P division into an international platform and the new discovery strengthens this ambition further 

MOL has a proven track record of successfully operating in Pakistan’s upstream sector for 21 years and holds equity stakes in four blocks in the country. MOL has made 13 oil, gas and condensate discoveries in Pakistan since 2000 and discovered over 400 million boe hydrocarbon reserves. 

As the operating shareholder MOL is responsible for 89 mboepd gross production (as of Q1 2020) in the TAL block, one of the largest hydrocarbon producing blocks in the country, where MOL has 8.4% share.  

MOL’s partners in the Joint Venture consortium are OGDCL, PPL, POL and GHPL. MOL Pakistan is the country’s second largest producer of LPG, crude oil and condensate. As the operator it currently addresses around 9% of the natural gas needs of Pakistan, 25 % of oil and condensate needs and 22% of LPG. 

Dr. Berislav Gašo, MOL Group’s E&P EVP commented:  

“I am delighted to announce that we have made another discovery in Pakistan. This new discovery has de-risked an exploration play in deeper reservoir in the TAL Block, leading to new upside opportunities. The Mamikhel South-1 discovery will also help to improve the energy security of the country from indigenous resources. We are thankful to our Joint Venture partners as well as the Government of Pakistan for their continued support.”  

MOL aims to transform its E&P division into an international platform and the new discovery strengthens this ambition further. Currently, MOL Group has Upstream presence in 14 countries with production activities in 9 of them. Besides its core region, Central & Eastern Europe (Hungary and Croatia), MOL has a well-established presence and partnerships in the CIS region (Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan), the Middle East, Africa and Pakistan as well as the North Sea region (UK, Norway). 

About MOL Group 

MOL Group is an integrated, international oil and gas company, headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. It is active in over 40 countries with a dynamic international workforce of 25,000 people and a track record of more than 100 years in the industry. MOL’s exploration and production activities are supported by more than 75 years’ experience in the hydrocarbon field. At the moment, there are production activities in 9 countries and exploration assets in 14 countries. MOL Group operates three refineries and two petrochemicals plants under integrated supply chain management in Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia, and owns a network of about 1900 service stations across 10 countries in Central & South Eastern Europe. 

Pumps for circulating clean engine oil; a reasonably ordinary application? But then there’s nothing ordinary whatsoever about Arjun Infrastructures’ remarkable power plant in London, which generates 17MW of renewable energy from food waste and can also utilise fats, oils and greases (FOG).

”This is a first-of-a-kind plant”, said Phil Jones, Director at 2OC, who developed the plant and now manage it on behalf of Arjun.

He added: “Joining up assets that haven’t previously been linked together before has presented many engineering challenges”.

Originally specified by Jacobs Engineering, the two 90kW lubrication pumps for the Combined Heat and intelligent Power (CHiP) plant had to be installed by main contractor J. Murphy and Sons in a very tight space, presenting the first in a series of obstacles to be overcome.

David Brown, from the pump manufacturer Börger explained: “At first we thought that this was going to be a relatively uncomplicated job, but then the small footprint was just one of many hurdles to negotiate – not to mention the fact that the pumps had to go below ground, beneath the plant’s engine”.

He added: “We designed a special base frame so that the very robust EL1550 Classic pumps could be mounted vertically into the small footprint (just 3m by 4m) – and then for easy servicing, lifted out and put on their side. Over-pressure protection was required too. All a bit tricky, but often the case when there’s not much space available.“

Producing enough energy for approximately 40,000 homes, Arjun’s power station presents no shortage of high temperatures for its assets to cope with. This includes the Börger pumps, which had special cooling radiators for the gearboxes and motors installed.

So far so good, but with the Börger pumps and the rather demanding need to make all of the new power plant’s equipment work together efficiently and economically, came a demanding, non-extendable deadline.

“We were fully aware of this from day one”, continued 2OC’s Phil Jones, “but I can’t deny that the pressure was well and truly on. We had to meet the deadline for all-important government ROCs (Renewables Obligation Certificates) that support large-scale renewable electricity projects in the UK. To get the plant off on the right operational and financial footing, we had to make things happen to hit that deadline. We could not take our time”.

The construction contractors’ engineers were initially concerned about the noise and vibration of the two Börger pumps. As everyone in the supply chain knows, this can be a delicate balance when both parties believe they are right!

“The pumps were performing fine, but we were a little anxious at first”, added Phil Jones. “Failure wasn’t an option”.

“For us”, continued David Brown from Börger, “we believed it was simply down to natural pulsation, but as well going to site, we also brought over our top engineers from Germany. It didn’t help us or 2OC that due to the space limitations, the pipework for one pump was straight, whilst the other one was more complex, so had to cope with some pressure loss. Ultimately, we ran a test in Germany with 2OC in attendance to show that the pumps were performing fine. As it turned out, the vibration was down to nothing more than extra torque being required. Later, after another 500 hours running time, an inspection confirmed that there were no issues. It has been a bit of journey, but we always knew there was a reason, a solution.

2OC’s Phil Jones added: “Börger were totally professional – taking our concerns very seriously to get to the bottom of this mystery. Through the very positive dialogue between the two companies, it was also decided to change the pump’s removable rotor tips from rubber to a fully stainless-steel solid rotor design because of the high temperatures. Together with the stainless-steel pump-head, it now means that there is almost zero maintenance required”.

Built by J. Murphy and Sons, Arjun’s power plant sees 75GWh of the electricity sold to Thames Water for its Beckton sewerage processing plant (home to 64 Börger pumps), whilst the remaining 55GWh is purchased by Centrica.

Heat from the engine is supplied to the adjacent gas pressure reduction station owned by the Cadent (with whom Börger also has pumps in a very important application), largely replacing old gas boilers that used to pre-heat the gas – whilst heat recovery cycles of the CHiP technology increase the thermal efficiency of the Arjun plant.

Phil Jones from 2OC concluded: “Our pursuit of getting this unique power station where it needs to be has not been easy, but very much in line with what government is promoting, we now have a very neat and efficient plant. This includes the Börger pumps, which are proving very efficient, reliable and easy to maintain thus far”.

Even during the current COVID-19 crisis of lower economic activity, natural gas imports from Mexico have remained at levels of around 5,300 mmcfd during the first quarter of 2020. The US is the primary exporter of natural gas to Mexico, with volumes reaching an all-time high in July 2019 with 6.2 bcfd. Mexico is expected to remain highly dependent on natural gas imports from the US in the future, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Over the next decade, Mexico’s dependency on natural gas will continue to grow as the national oil company (NOC), Pemex, focuses on crude oil production and the US continues to have an excess in natural gas supply. Indeed, the price differentials between the US natural gas price and Mexico’s incentivize the trade. Furthermore, since the end of June 2020, Wahalajara’s pipeline system connecting Waha hub gas with the central-west part of Mexico is in full operation. This pipeline will encourage more export volume from Texas Permian to Mexico of up to 0.89 bcfd and the permanent demand from Mexico should continue supporting the already narrower differential of Waha hub prices with respect to other US natural gas hubs.

Adrian Lara, Senior Oil & Gas Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “In the short term, there are no planned assets in Mexico that can significantly increase domestic natural gas production. There is potential for undeveloped resources in the onshore region of Burgos on the north eastern part of the country, across the same geological basin continuing from southeast Texas. However, on average, the required breakeven price for full development of such reserves is higher than the price of imported natural gas challenging the viability of potential new projects.

“As for deepwater and unconventional resources for these type of developments, Pemex would have to partner with another operator to share risk and capital investment. Given the more technical and capital intensive nature of such projects, it has long been established this is a most effective manner for the NOC to exploit these resources. However, Mexico’s current government policy is to favor and support Pemex and this means stopping all bidding rounds that can bring new participants to the sector.

“The reality is that at present there are practically no new natural gas resources to be developed in Pemex’s portfolio that can reverse the decline in production. For that reason, imports from the US to satisfy an increasing demand for natural gas in power generation and industrial use will continue to be more than necessary over the current decade.”

About GlobalData

4,000 of the world’s largest companies, including over 70% of FTSE 100 and 60% of Fortune 100 companies, make more timely and better business decisions thanks to GlobalData’s unique data, expert analysis and innovative solutions, all in one platform. GlobalData’s mission is to help our clients decode the future to be more successful and innovative across a range of industries, including the healthcare, consumer, retail, financial, technology and professional services sectors.

Online service portal helps users with factory-authorized maintenance and repair for Hägglunds hydraulic direct drive systems and motors, including legacy Marathon motors.

Bosch Rexroth has introduced a new online service portal for its Hägglunds hydraulic motors, giving users a single source of information to maintain, repair, modernize or upgrade their equipment with certified specialists and genuine Hägglunds parts. The service portal is accessible from www.boschrexroth-us.com/Hagglunds

With more than 60,000 motors installed globally, Hägglunds low-speed high-torque radial piston drive systems are used in a wide range of industries – from mining and pulp and paper production to recycling systems, marine applications and more.

The new Hägglunds Service Center website from Bosch Rexroth provides information to help users with servicing, repairing, modernizing or upgrading Hägglunds drive systems

“We developed this website to help customers maintain the highest productivity and reliability for their Hägglunds motors, whether they need original, warrantied spare parts or guidance from a certified specialist,” said Brian Howell, Hägglunds Sales and Operations Manager. “No one knows a Hägglunds motor or drive system better than the original equipment provider, and that’s us. When users choose authorized Hägglunds service from Bosch Rexroth, our certified technicians bring their drives and systems back to new performance levels, along with a full factory warranty. 

“We know customers rely on Hägglunds motors and drives to last a long time, and we can help them accurately assess the condition and advise the repair necessary to continue a long-life and maintain uptime.”

The website makes it easy for Hägglunds customers to request a motor return via a simple form submission. They can also learn about upgrading motors and drive units with information on motor comparisons, upgrade kits, cooling improvements for drive units and scalable options to fit their needs. In addition, users can access repair and maintenance resources for legacy Hägglunds Marathon motors, which are no longer in production. In addition, the website provides information about:

• Direct support from certified Hägglunds technical experts for complete system component inspection and analysis
• On-site examinations by certified service specialists equipped for inspection, repair and preventive maintenance support
• Hägglunds-authorized repairs, carried out by skilled, factory-certified personnel at the customer location or at a Rexroth U.S. Hägglunds facility in Ohio or Texas
• Preventive maintenance program offering a full range of services, including written inspection reports, oil level and pressure checks and electrical element inspections
• Genuine Hägglunds spare parts, backed by extended warranty options and fast shipping from strategically located inventories
• Hands-on, in-depth training covering the major hydraulics, electronics and controls of Hӓgglunds large hydraulic drives; training is provided by factory-certified trainers and can be conducted at a customer location or at a Rexroth training facility

The online service center is the latest addition to the Bosch Rexroth portfolio of informative, free resources. The company also offers a free Hägglunds Resource Kit with information ranging from detailed customer case studies to online engineering tools.

Visit www.boschrexroth-us.com/Hagglunds for more information.

About Bosch Rexroth:
As one of the world’s leading suppliers of drive and control technologies, Bosch Rexroth ensures efficient, powerful and safe movement in machines and systems of any size. The company bundles global application experience in the market segments of Mobile Applications, Machinery Applications and Engineering, and Factory Automation. With its intelligent components, customized system solutions and services, Bosch Rexroth is creating the necessary environment for fully connected applications. Bosch Rexroth offers its customers hydraulics, electric drive and control technology, gear technology and linear motion and assembly technology, including software and interfaces to the Internet of Things. With locations in over 80 countries, roughly 31,000 associates generated sales revenue of roughly 6.2 billion euros ($7.3 billion) in 2019. 

To learn more, please visit www.boschrexroth-us.com. 

About Bosch:
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 400,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2019). The company generated sales of 77.7 billion euros ($84 billion) in 2019. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. As a leading IoT provider, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, Industry 4.0, and connected mobility. Bosch is pursuing a vision of mobility that is sustainable, safe, and exciting. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to facilitate connected living with products and solutions that either contain artificial intelligence (AI) or have been developed or manufactured with its help. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440 subsidiary and regional companies in 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. Bosch employs some 72,600 associates in research and development at 126 locations across the globe, as well as roughly 30,000 software engineers. 

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, www.twitter.com/BoschPresse.