CNOOC gets OK for giant Fujian LNG tank

CNOOC’s gas and power unit revealed this in a statement issued on Thursday.

The Fujian Provincial Development and Reform Commission approved the seventh LNG tank and associated facilities.

CNOOC Gas & Power said this lays a “strong foundation” for the subsequent implementation of the project and the start of construction.

The state-owned company did not provide a timeline for the construction of the LNG tank.

The LNG facility in Meizhou Bay currently has six 160,000-cbm LNG storage tanks and a regasification capacity of 6.3 mtpa.

This 270,000-cbm tank will be one of the world’s largest onshore LNG storage tanks, such as the six existing tanks at CNOOC’s Binhai LNG import terminal in Jiangsu, and the five tanks at CNOOC’s Zhuhai LNG import terminal.

After the completion and commissioning of the tank, the storage capacity at the Fujian LNG terminal will be increased by about 30 percent.

This will further help in guaranteeing the energy security of Fujian province and its surrounding areas, CNOOC Gas & Power said.

Last year, the Fujian LNG terminal received more than 700 cargoes of LNG since the start of operations in 2008.

The terminal supplies more than 70 percent of natural gas in the Fujian province and is the only facility that provides gas for gas-fired power plants in the province.

Huge LNG storage capacity

China is the world’s largest LNG importer and CNOOC is investing heavily to increase its storage and regasification capacity.

CNOOC recently launched six LNG storage tanks each with the capacity of 270,000 cubic meters at its Binhai LNG import terminal in Jiangsu.

The tanks are about 65 meters high and have 100.6 meters in diameter.

These tanks add to the already four existing tanks with a capacity of 220,000 cbm.

CNOOC Gas & Power claims this is China’s largest LNG storage base.

Besides this expansion, CNOOC is expanding its facilities in Ningbo and Zhuhai with in total 11 storage tanks with a capacity of 270,000 cubic meters, it previously said.

Following completion of these projects, the total LNG tank capacity of CNOOC will reach 8,510,000 cubic meters, it previously said.