Adriatic LNG, the operator of the regasification terminal located off the Italian Veneto coast, said the facility has broken a number of operational records in 2019.
The operator said that the facility registered an annual utilization rate of 95.6 percent, well above the European average of about 50 percent, exceeding the value marked in 2018 (81 percent) and the previous high reached in 2010 (87 percent).
Furthermore, the facility received a record number of 88 LNG carriers during the year, 11 more than in 2018, Adriatic LNG said in its statement.
Adriatic LNG terminal also sent a record 7.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the national grid, 1.1 billion above 2018 volumes, which enabled the terminal to approach its maximum regasification capacity of 8 billion cubic meters per year.
Terminal’s figures reflect the recovery of Italian gas consumption in 2019, the operator said.
Annual volumes amounted to 73.8 billion cubic meters, showing an increase of 2.3 percent compared to the previous year, driven by thermoelectric sector.
Within these, over 70.6 billion were imported from foreign countries in order to balance the constant decline of domestic production which decreased to 4.5 billion.
In order to meet gas market operators’ demand, last summer Adriatic LNG terminal completed first tests in order to receive Q-Flex carriers too, which can transport up to 217,000 cubic meters of LNG.
Finally, Adriatic LNG was the only regasification terminal in Italy to offer Peak Shaving service in the fourth quarter of 2019, in order to guarantee the national gas system higher security during 2019-2020 winter.