The International Energy Agency’s Gas 2025 report forecasts a dramatic wave of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) production capacity expansion by decade’s end, reshaping market dynamics by easing supply tightness and strengthening energy security. And as Kyle Haberberger of Black & Veatch writes in a guest article published in the November issue of LNG Industry magazine below, a quiet but powerful force enabling this shift is the agility of floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) technology.
Without requiring pipelines, coastal terminals or large land footprints, FLNG redefines how stranded gas is monetized as a flexible, self-contained alternative to traditional onshore LNG plants. Technologies such as Black & Veatch’s PRICO® liquefaction enhance FLNG’s versatility, allowing operators to handle a range of gas compositions and deployment conditions. Just as importantly, FLNG units can be relocated — invaluable in a world shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, shifting markets and evolving resource needs.
With adaptability and redeployment at its core, FLNG in Haberberger’s perspective is solidifying its role as a cornerstone of tomorrow’s global gas supply chain.
Haberberger also shared similar observations of FLNG conversations with partners and clients at conferences around the globe.
The agility of FLNG
Kyle Haberberger, Black & Veatch, outlines why floating LNG is redefining what is possible in energy security.
The world’s appetite for reliable power sources deepens, and abundant natural gas continues to feed the intense demand. In an unfolding race for energy security, getting more of it to market — and positioning the processing assets in the right places — will be crucial.
Floating LNG (FLNG) assets — a transformative force in the global energy landscape – may hold the key, helping explain why global FLNG capacity is expected to more than triple by 2030.
These floating factories, of sorts, that create LNG to ship around the globe (from often-remote locations to far-flung markets) are redefining how the fuel is monetised. Unlike traditional onshore LNG plants requiring extensive infrastructure and long development timeframes, self-contained FLNG units offer a flexible alternative. In remote offshore settings, they minimise the need for pipelines and coastal terminals, reducing CAPEX and environmental footprint. Nearshore deployments, meanwhile, can leverage existing infrastructure, including pipelines, while incorporating electric-driven motors powered by renewable energy sources to enable lower-carbon operations. Whether positioned far offshore or closer to land, FLNG’s adaptability across geographies and configurations reinforces its role as a strategic asset in the evolving energy landscape.
And of special significance, FLNG units can be redeployed elsewhere, embodying flexibility and cementing their status as a globe-trotting game-changer in an evolving global energy ecosystem.
FLNG benefits: What’s not to like?
FLNG’s influence begins with its adaptable scalable nature — notably when using technologies such as the PRICO® liquefaction system by industry leader Black & Veatch — that enables rapid deployment and adaptation to an array of gas compositions and site conditions. That makes it a highly flexible solution for today’s dynamic energy landscape.
Designed for versatility, FLNG units also can be configured with or without onboard storage, powered by gas turbines or external electric sources, and accommodate various liquefaction technologies. PRICO’s single-mixed refrigerant (SMR) loop for liquefaction, for instance, simplifies operations while reducing equipment needs and lowering costs.
Golar Gimi FLNG (Courtesy of Golar LNG)
FLNG can be tailored to specific project needs, whether it is a compact barge for nearshore deployment or a full-scale offshore production unit with integrated storage capabilities, ensuring that FLNG can meet demands of diverse markets and environmental conditions.
Beyond technical and economic benefits, FLNG plays a vital role in enhancing global energy security. By unlocking stranded offshore gas reserves and enabling rapid response to shifting demand, FLNG supports a more resilient, diversified energy supply chain. In regions where infrastructure is limited or geopolitical risks are high, FLNG is a nimble and less invasive alternative to fixed onshore installations.
Technology such as PRICO does much of the heavy lifting, offering a simplified refrigeration system requiring minimal equipment, low CAPEX and OPEX, and simplified control and maintenance, making it ideal for FLNG use. The simplicity of PRICO liquefaction design fosters flexibility and the ability to adjust to a myriad of potential gas compositions.
Mobility for a floating frontier
As the gas sector constantly changes and geopolitical uncertainty grabs more headlines, developers clamour for solutions that help them nimbly adapt to the evolving energy landscape. The mobility of FLNG answers that call, providing flexibility for rapid deployment to monetise gas assets and uproot a project to a new location.
That compelling ability to relocate a world scale energy asset on the fly is not merely a technical feat, but a strategic asset. Unsurprisingly, such flexibility is increasingly cited in permitting applications as a key advantage for future-proofing investments.
Call it a powerful hedge and a fountain of options for project developers against uncertainty in a world rife with geopolitical shifts, changing economies and regulations, tariffs, dynamic energy policies and depleting resources, among other things.
Over time, FLNG interests have showcased the ability to operate in multiple geographies, from South America to Africa to southeast Asia, redeploying when conditions (some unforeseen) merit.
Golar’s Hilli Episeyo: A mobility proof point
More than three football fields in length and about half a US city block wide, Golar LNG’s Hilli Episeyo has defined mobility. Built in Singapore without a final destination chosen, the FLNG vessel planned to use PRICO technology in a generic configuration to allow the Hilli to be deployed to any of a number of locations globally. Having the flexibility to change locations has allowed Golar to pursue projects around the globe that more traditional facilities might avoid.
Golar Hilli Episeyo FLNG (Courtesy of Golar LNG)
In 2015, Golar entered into agreements to ultimately send the Hilli off the coast of Cameroon in central Africa, where it has been operating offshore for oil and gas company Perenco. With its contract ending in 2026, Golar looks to quickly relocate the FLNG asset to Argentina for LNG production for Southern Energy S. A. (SESA).
In the meantime, Golar is again betting on FLNG flexibility by taking a final investment decision on its MKII FLNG design in September 2024, enlisting Black & Veatch for a third time to provide its robust PRICO technology. Though that asset began construction without a home, it is now scheduled to deploy to Argentina — again for SESA — when it is completed in 2027.
Elsewhere, other FLNG projects such as Tango FLNG and Petronas Satu FLNG have utilised this mobility strategy. Tango FLNG, for example, is now operating off the coast of Congo and has produced LNG on three different continents.
Conclusion
FLNG is proving itself as a cornerstone of tomorrow’s energy strategy. Its ability to unlock stranded resources, adapt to shifting market and geopolitical realities, and redeploy across continents makes it a powerful hedge against uncertainty. As developers and operators seek resilience and agility in a rapidly changing world, FLNG’s mobility and versatility stand out — redefining what is possible for energy security and global supply.
Kyle Haberberger oversees FLNG technology applications and development for offshore and nearshore FLNG projects globally for Black & Veatch.
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