National Grid Transco (NGT) has been granted planning permission by Medway Council to convert the existing Isle of Grain terminal into a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) importation facility. The terminal is scheduled for commissioning 1st January in 2005 and will be capable of processing 3 million tonnes of LNG per year.
The approval for planning permission follows a feasibility study and engineering analysis and includes a full environmental impact study. The project requires the building of a new deep-water jetty to be constructed on the River Medway estuary, enabling purpose built LNG ships to dock.
The project will also involve installing new boil-off gas compressors, high efficiency vaporisers and a cryogenic pipeline to transport LNG from the ships to the tanks, as well as converting the four existing LNG storage tanks for importation from LNG ships.
Project Director Mathew Rose said, " The planning permission consent represents another significant milestone in the development of the terminal. We are delighted with this outcome and believe that this is the best UK site for the development of such a terminal. It has deep water access, is close to the demand and benefits from existing connections to the gas National Transmission System. We are looking forward to continuing our long history in LNG. Once commissioned the site will provide an excellent new source of gas to homes and industry in the UK and South East and will allow us to meet demand very quickly and ensure continued security of supplies.”
The existing facilities, constructed in 1982, already contain LNG storage capable of taking approximately 200,000 cubic metres of LNG, a regassification plant, and gas vaporisation and liquefaction facilities.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- NGT will own and operate the importation terminal through Grain LNG Ltd. LNG is a 100% owned subsidiary of NGT.
- LNG is natural gas liquefied by refrigeration to a temperature of around –1600C, a process which reduces its volume to 1/600th of that at normal temperature, and enables bulk transportation by tanker.
- Britain’s gas demand is projected to increase by 16 per cent in the next ten years. As production from North Sea gas fields declines, dependence on gas imports is forecast to approach 50 per cent within the same period. To import this gas, analysis by Transco as part of its annual public consultation on gas supply and demand indicates that three more gas import pipelines, LNG terminals, or a combination of these, will be required.
- Lattice Group plc has merged with National Grid Group plc and is now called National Grid Transco plc.
Media enquiries to Christine Riches on 01306 748596 / 07785 508661.