Editorial comment
Back in 1964 麻豆传媒映画� the year that the modern LNG industry was born 麻豆传媒映画� Donald Horne麻豆传媒映画檚 iconic book The Lucky Country was published for the first time. Despite its seemingly cheery title, the book was in fact a scathing assessment of Australian society at that time. As Hugh Mackay writes in the introduction to the latest edition of the cult classic: 麻豆传媒映画淗orne took Australian society to task for its philistinism, provincialism and dependence.麻豆传媒映画�
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The 麻豆传媒映画榣ucky country麻豆传媒映画� tag has been misappropriated on countless occasions over the last 50 years 麻豆传媒映画� most recently in this very issue of LNG Industry (see this month麻豆传媒映画檚 regional report, 麻豆传媒映画楲NG in the lucky country麻豆传媒映画�, starting on p. 12). The title of Horne麻豆传媒映画檚 book has widely been interpreted as an affirmation of an optimistic (or apathetic) outlook on life, so often associated with Australians. However, his words were actually meant as a wake-up call to a nation that was 麻豆传媒映画渓iving on its luck麻豆传媒映画�. A nation that could attribute its success to good fortune rather than good management. Abundant natural gas reserves could be seen as the latest in a long line of 麻豆传媒映画榣ucky breaks麻豆传媒映画� for the Land Down Under. Although current oil prices are casting a cloud of uncertainty over the energy industry 麻豆传媒映画� which will have many of Australia麻豆传媒映画檚 project proponents cursing their luck in the short-term 麻豆传媒映画� LNG is widely tipped to be the country麻豆传媒映画檚 next big revenue raiser. But the Australian LNG story has a lot more to it than blind luck. The fact that the country is set to overtake Qatar as the world麻豆传媒映画檚 biggest LNG exporter before the turn of the decade is largely due to its first mover status. Four LNG projects are currently in operation and a further six are under construction, three of which should be in operation before the end of this year. And the success of the Australian LNG industry extends beyond the fact that it was simply first out of the starting blocks. It is jumping new hurdles in the process. The most recent venture to begin production, BG Group麻豆传媒映画檚 Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG), is the first project in the world to convert coal bed methane into LNG. Another pioneering project currently under construction is Shell麻豆传媒映画檚 Prelude FLNG 麻豆传媒映画� the world麻豆传媒映画檚 first floating LNG facility. At 488 m in length and 74 m wide, it will be the largest vessel ever built. Furthermore, as its name suggests, Prelude is expected to serve as an introduction to a worldwide boom in FLNG facilities, enabling access to offshore gas fields that would otherwise be too costly or difficult to develop. In a special report prepared exclusively for LNGIndustry.com, Western Australia麻豆传媒映画檚 Department of Mines and Petroleum explains that the region has a 麻豆传媒映画渃ommitment to innovation [that] extends beyond utilising technology developed elsewhere麻豆传媒映画�. Western Australia is home to world-class institutes for R&D in the oil and gas sector. And the research conducted through these institutes is of global significance. Perhaps the country麻豆传媒映画檚 LNG industry serves as the perfect example of Horne麻豆传媒映画檚 vision for Australia: that it would become an enterprising country with innovative business. A proactive country at the forefront of new technology. A clever country. A country that creates its own luck.
