China Oil and Gas Pipeline Network (PipeChina) has completed a 220,000-cbm LNG storage tank as part of the expansion phase of its Tianjin import terminal.
PipeChina held a ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the mechanical completion of the fourth LNG tank of the Tianjin LNG Phase II project, according to a statement.
The completion of the tank marks a step towards the full completion and commissioning of the expansion phase, it said.
PipeChina said that the Phase II includes the construction of six 220,000-cbm LNG tanks with a diameter of 93 meters.
Work on this phase of the terminal located in the northern port city Tianjin near Beijing started back in April 2020, but the construction has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Following completion of the project, the Tianjin LNG terminal will have a storage capacity of 1.54 million cbm, and a total capacity of 12 million tons per year, almost double the existing capacity, PipeChina said.
Besides this facility, there are two more terminals in Tianjin and they include the Sinopec facility and the Beijing Gas facility.
China launched PipeChina in December 2019 to acquire pipelines and LNG import terminals from the country’s state-owned energy giants.
PipeChina LNG Terminal Management, a unit of PipeChina, operates seven LNG receiving terminals, and is building three new LNG terminals, it previously said.
The firm signed a terminal use agreement last year with a unit of Shell, marking an important step in opening up of PipeChina’s LNG terminals for third party access.
A unit of US energy giant and LNG player, ExxonMobil, also signed a cooperation deal with PipeChina last year.