UK’s Grain LNG terminal has recently hit a milestone receiving its 500th cargo of liquefied natural gas.
The terminal on the Isle of Grain accommodated the LNG Merak last week. The vessel capable of transporting up to 174,000 cubic meters of the chilled fuel loaded the cargo at the Zeebrugge terminal in Belgium.
Commenting on the milestone delivery, Simon Culkin , Importation Terminal Manager, at National Grid Grain LNG, said that LNG Merak is the 22nd ship to arrive at the terminal this year.
“Since commissioning our terminal in 2005, we have taken delivery of LNG from 13 countries, further strengthening the diversity and security of UK gas supplies,” Culkin said.
Grain LNG is the largest LNG importation terminal in Europe, with 1,000,000 cubic meters of storage and the capacity to process around 14.8 million tonnes of LNG annually and deliver 25 percent of UK gas demand. Grain LNG is the only terminal in the UK able to process the full range of global LNG, due to extensive nitrogen facilities.
“LNG imports into the UK increased by approx. 64 percent in 2019 versus 2018, contributing to a decrease in the wholesale (NBP) gas price of approx 55 percent,” he said.
LNG imports have increased significantly over the past six months. Utilization rates are up across all terminals in Europe, including Grain that on November 14th, 2019 exported the highest ever amount of gas in a single day from any European terminal, 698 GWh.