FWIW Regarding Number 1 on the list:
I thing y'all should keep in mind that the purpose of undertaking a FEED Package is to develop a +/- 10% accurate cost estimate for use in deciding whether to go ahead with a project (ie make a "Final Investment Decision" or FID). This takes an enormous amount of engineering, followed by firm price quotations from all major equipment vendors and bulk commodity suppliers. Then a detailed execution plan has to be created to ensure that the project schedule can be maintained.
To execute a FEED Package for a major LNG plant such as this, located in an area unknown to any of the bidders (ie they've never built anything there before) requires a company to:
+ Select the technology for the LNG Plant. JKM, I believe, will use Air Products if they are selected
+ Execute the so-called Basic Engineering with the Licensor. They'd have to pay about $3Million for the engineering + a portion of the License Fee. This takes 5 months.
+ Bundle the Basic Engineering together with a very large amount of information related to the rest of the infrastructure
+ Hire an EPC Company to do the FEED Package - this is usually done on a competitive bidding basis. This phase would take another 6 months
To do all of the above requires at least a total of $30 Million
As such, in my humble opinion, there's no way that any of the Bidders have done a FEED Package, or are even in the middle of doing a FEED Package.
No one will spend this kind of money unless they are reimbursed if they lose (not possible in my view) or have been selected as the winner.
Now to the point about having FEED and FID by June 2013 ... which is the current requirement in the Project Agreement of December 2009:
Again in my opinion, this deadline would have to be extended by the NEC for anyone to become a Partner in E/ A and the Gulf LNG Project. Of all the Bidders, only ExxonMobil would be able to execute FEED between now and June. ExxonMobil could duplicate the PNG LNG design in Gulf and reach FID by June.
Having said all the above, it is aligned with Kogas Top Management folks who stated several times recently that they want to be involved in the Gulf LNG Project, and that if they were, the first LNG deliveries would be in early 2017.