Spain’s Reganosa said it would invest 16 million euros ($16.8 million) in its Mugardos LNG import terminal in the Ferrol port, as part of the plant’s modernization program.
Launched in November 2007, the Mugardos LNG terminal, which gets power from renewable sources, has the capacity to supply 3.6 billion cubic meters per year of natural gas to the Spanish grid.
The facility features two 150,000-cbm tanks but also a jetty capable of both unloading and loading operations, and a truck loading facility.
Compression system
With the new investment, Reganosa plans to install a compression system at the facility that maximizes the use of energy and allows to provide all kinds of logistic services at any time, it said in a statement.
Reganosa said that, under normal circumstances, a reliquefier gets boil-off gas or BOG generated in the plant’s storage tanks and turns it to LNG again. After that, the plant regasifies these volumes along with other LNG and sends it to the high-pressure gas pipeline network.
However, in specific moments of low sendout volumes to the gird due to low demand or shutdown for maintenance or other circumstances, not all the BOG can be reliquefied and this conditions the operation of the terminal, according to Reganosa.
This is why the firm has decided to install a compression system that would make the handling of these vapors independent of the plant’s regasification level, allowing the plant to separately perform other services it offers as well, the firm said.
Energy savings
In addition, this compressor would not only improve the flexibility and competitiveness of the installations but also their efficiency and sustainability by maximizing the use of energy, the firm said.
Reganosa estimates it would generate annual average savings of 26 to 40 GWh.
“Due to its characteristics and advantages, the project is aligned with the objectives that inspire the latest European regulations on gas management within the energy sector, as well as with national developments,” it said.
Reganosa added it has already initiated the administrative procedures to materialize the project.
