National Grid unveils new truck loading facility at Isle of Grain LNG terminal
A state-of-the-art truck loading facility has been unveiled this week at National Grid’s Isle of Grain LNG terminal in Kent.
The loading hub will allow road tanker operators to load liquefied natural gas (LNG) in bulk and transport the fuel directly to LNG filling stations, as well as to industrial and commercial markets throughout the UK and mainland Europe.
The multi-bay facility will be operational around the clock, 365 days a year, initially offering 36 slots for road tankers each day. National Grid has planning permission in place to increase the size of the facility, doubling the amount of bays available from two to four, subject to market demand.
The facility is ideally located close to major UK road networks and boasts quick access to and from continental Europe.
“The launch of this new truck loading facility is a key milestone in the terminal’s 10 year history.
We are the largest terminal in Europe and the ability to load road tankers is a welcome addition to the many other services we offer here, including the ability to import, store, regassify LNG and both cool down and reload LNG ships.
It is a great time to launch a truck loading facility. We are seeing many key government and market signals lining up to drive the adoption for LNG as a fuel, such as tightening emission regulation and the availability of dedicated technologies, together with the huge demand we have had from our customers and road tanker operators.
There is a significant amount of world-wide LNG available to meet UK and global gas demand. This, together with the inherent environmental benefits of using LNG compared to diesel for example, makes a compelling case for LNG as a fuel.”
Simon Culkin, importation terminal manager at Grain LNG
