Musel Energy Hub, the LNG plant in Gijón, Spain, owned by Enagás and Reganosa, has launched a service to supply bio-LNG to ships and tankers.
According to Enagás, the new service is available as of November 5, and it uses the interconnected infrastructure so that the biomethane injected into the gas network can be recognized as bio-LNG and supplied via the terminal.
The service meets all the environmental, social, and traceability criteria outlined in the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification of the European Union (ISCC EU) and the European Commission, the company said.
Antonio Manzano , Managing Director of Musel Energy Hub, highlighted the event as “a new milestone in the development of the Gijón terminal as a multi-molecule plant” and “a clear step forward” in contribution to the decarbonization goals “while enhancing the competitiveness of this key infrastructure for the security of the energy supply in Spain and Europe “.
Nieves Roqueñí , President of the Port Authority of Gijón, declared that “preparing the regasification plant to supply ships with bio-LNG will allow shipping companies operating with dual and adapted engines to refuel in Gijón, thus contributing to the strategic goal of reducing our carbon footprint. Having a multi-energy platform to supply European ports and maritime routes and an excellent location in the centre of northern Spain with direct access to the Atlantic provides us with an excellent opportunity to move towards climate neutrality”.
The new service coincides with the exponential growth of bunkering in recent years in Spain, multiplying its activity more than tenfold between 2022 and the current date.
Between January and September this year, 4.6 TWh were supplied at the terminals operated by Enagás and Reganosa in Spain, of which 4.1 TWh were loaded onto small ships ( ship-to-ship) and 0.5 TWh were loaded by means of tankers ( truck-to-ship), the company reported.
Earlier this year, Enagás also introduced bio-LNG supply service at its regasification terminals in Barcelona and Huelva.