Grain LNG sets all-time record for utilisation
Europe’s largest LNG terminal had its busiest month ever in April - breaking all previous records.
National Grid’s Grain LNG facility recorded its highest ever utilisation rates last month and supplied 15.1% of UK gas demand during this time.
Grain LNG, located on the Isle of Grain in Kent, is currently able to store and deliver enough gas to meet at least 25% of UK gas demand. Increasing LNG imports help contribute to lower wholesale gas prices by increasing ‘gas-on-gas’ competition.
The average daily send out over April was 412.2GWh, beating the previous record of 406.05GWh in November 2019.
Grain also recently beat its record for the number of trucks loaded with LNG at the facility. Utilisation of the truck loading facility during April 2021 was 75% higher than the previous year.
Last year the Grain team announced it would be expanding the facility to accommodate a new capacity contract with Qatar Terminal Limited. From mid-2025 the storage will increase from 1,000,000 m3 to 1,200,000 m3 with the facility's capacity already fully booked until January 2029.
The site’s Importation Terminal Manager Simon Culkin said “We are very proud that we have managed to consistently deliver our customer’s nominations despite the challenges of Covid-19. Grain has the ability to swing from minimum to maximum flows within a short period of time which means we play a critical role in meeting the UK’s gas demand.”
Grain LNG is of strategic national importance to UK energy infrastructure and security of supply. It is the largest terminal in Europe and eighth largest in the world by tank capacity with a site that spans over 600 acres in total, delivering high performance for customers, communities and National Grid, through unparalleled safety, reliability and efficiency.
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About National Grid Grain LNG
National Grid Grain LNG, a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid, owns and operates the UK’s first modern LNG importation terminal, playing an important role in securing UK gas supply.
Commissioned in July 2005, the terminal is presently able to provide up to 25% of the UK’s gas demand. LNG is essentially the gas used in homes and business, which has been chilled to -161 degrees centigrade into a liquid state.
In addition to regassification Grain LNG offers add-on services including truck loading bays, reloads, cool-downs and trans shipments.
About National Grid
National Grid is pivotal to the energy systems in the UK and the north eastern United States. We aim to serve customers well and efficiently, supporting the communities in which we operate and making possible the energy systems of the future.
National Grid in the UK
- We own and operate the electricity transmission network in England and Wales, with day-to-day responsibility for balancing supply and demand. We also operate, but do not own, the Scottish networks. Our networks comprise approximately 7,200 kilometres (4,474 miles) of overhead line, 1,500 kilometres (932 miles) of underground cable and 342 substations.
- We own and operate the gas National Transmission System in Great Britain, with day-to-day responsibility for balancing supply and demand. Our network comprises approximately 7,660 kilometres (4,760 miles) of high-pressure pipe and 618 above-ground installations.
- Other UK activities mainly relate to businesses operating in competitive markets outside of our core regulated businesses; including interconnectors, gas metering activities and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) importation terminal – all of which are now part of National Grid Ventures. National Grid Property is responsible for the management, clean-up and disposal of surplus sites in the UK. Most of these are former gas works.
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