Singapore: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong officially opened Singapore’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal yesterday evening, at a ceremony held at the terminal on Jurong Island. At the ceremony details were revealed of expansion plans to add a fourth tank at the facility and there was also talk of a brand new gas terminal.
The S$1.7bn terminal, which commenced operations on 7 May 2013, is owned and operated by Singapore LNG Corporation (SLNG).
In 2013, more than 90% of the electricity in Singapore was generated using natural gas.
To date, some 18 LNG vessels have called at the terminal, delivering about 1.08m tonnes, of LNG to Singapore. The LNG, from BG Group’s portfolio, has been supplied from a number of sources including Equatorial Guinea, and Trinidad and Tobago.
“The facility, which is designed to serve multiple terminal users, has the potential to support the growth of Singapore’s LNG sector, and the development of Singapore as an LNG hub for the region. It will help to catalyse LNG-related business opportunities and create new jobs in the energy sector. These include LNG trading, bunkering and vessel cool-down services,” SLNG said in a release.
The terminal now has three storage tanks so that it can handle up to 6m tonnes per year. SLNG has started the tender process for a fourth tank, which will raise capacity to 9m tonnes a year.
A secondary jetty is expected to be completed by the end of March.
The prime minister also said that due to space constraints at the current site on Jurong Island, authorities were already eyeing the possibility of a second terminal to the east of the republic as Singapore mounts its challenge to be Asia's LNG trading hub. [26/02/14]
