The first shipment of LNG into the UK’s Milford Haven South Hook LNG Terminal arrived at the new US$1.6 billion facility on Friday morning.
The 315 metre Tembek, a Q-Flex designated vessel, can hold more than 216,000 cubic meters of LNG, cryogenically cooled to -161ºc for transportation.
The super tanker travelled from Qatar and arrived in the UK via the Suez Canal, Malta and Spain.
Its arrival marks the first phase of the huge South Hook LNG project, which is expected to receive up to 10.5 billion cubic metres of gas every year. The scale of the project is incredible. The five storage tanks at the South Hook terminal are capable of holding 20% of the UK’s gas supply. The facility, a joint venture between QatarGas, Exxon Mobil and Total, is just one of a number of projects being developed by Qatar to help successfully export its vast gas reserves around the globe.
With dwindling domestic gas stocks it is thought that the UK will import 80% of its gas requirements by 2020. It currently imports 28%. The majority of the country’s import requirements will come into the country via South Hook and the Dragon LNG terminal that will shortly be opening nearby.
“The arrival of the first shipment of gas from Qatar to Milford Haven’s new terminal opens up yet another source of gas and will help boost our energy security as North Sea supplies decline,” said The Rt. Hon. Ed Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.
“That’s why we value the work with the Qatargas 2 project which I’ve seen first hand at Ras Laffan. This will secure shipments of gas to the United Kingdom,” he added.
Representatives from Qatargas were happy that the first shipment had arrived safely in the UK. “The arrival of the commissioning cargo into South Hook is a significant milestone in the development of the Qatargas II project, the world’s first full LNG value chain investment,” said Faisal Al Suwaidi, chairman and CEO of Qatargas Operating Company.
“This is a very proud day for us – the accumulation of many years of hard work and dedication from a strong workforce,” Mohammed Al-Naimi, the director and general manager of the South Hook LNG Terminal said.
The Q-Flex and the even larger Q-Max are a new generation of LNG mega-ship with about 40% lower energy requirements than conventional vessels due to the economies of scale created by their size and the efficiency of the engines.
The Qatargas 2 project is part of an expansion program at Qatargas which will allow production levels to rise from 10 million tonnnes per annum (mtpa) to 42 mtpa by the end of the decade.
Additional reporting by Kevin Baxter
