Escobar FSRU

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Escobar FSRU is a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Location

The terminal is located on the Paraná River at Puerto Escobar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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Project Details

• Operator: Excelerate Energy
• Owner: UTE Escobar
• Parent Company: Enarsa (50%), YPF (50%)
• Vessel Name: Excelerate Expedient
• Vessel Operator: Excelerate Energy
• Vessel Owner: Excelerate Energy
• Vessel Parent Company: Excelerate Energy
• Location: Puerto Escobar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Coordinates: -34.333333, -58.816667 (approximate)
• Capacity: 6.1 mtpa
• Status: Operating
• Type: Import
• Start Year: 2011

Note: mtpa = million tonnes per year; bcfd = billion cubic feet per day

Background

Escobar LNG Terminal is an LNG terminal in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The terminal was the second LNG terminal commissioned in the country. It provides peak capacity during periods of high demand in the winter months, as well as facilitating additional natural gas supply and transportation in the region.

Escobar LNG Terminal was commissioned in May 2011. It includes the 150,900 m³ Excelerate Expedient floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), a distribution pipeline, LNG loading arms, four docking dolphins, a berthing tower, and a GasPort dockside configuration that accommodates ship-to-ship transfers. The terminal connects to the TGN (Transportadora Gas del Norte) Pipeline Network, which provides natural gas to northern Argentina.

In 2020 optimization in ship traffic and regasification capacity enabled the terminal to increase the number of LNG carriers received per month. Truck loading facilities are being proposed to develop small and micro-LNG solutions. Bunkering solutions are also under development, such as bunker for cruises in Tierra del Fuego or on the Parana River.

Approximately $140-$180 million was invested in the project, with the terminal's engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract awarded to Trevi Group and the pipeline's EPC awarded to Techint.

In January 2024, YPF extended its contract for the Excelerate Expedient FSRU by one year, through the end of 2024. Meanwhile, the company reportedly began assessing future availability of vessels for 2025 and beyond, in hopes of chartering a new FSRU for a five- to ten-year period. As of June 2024, the Escobar terminal continued to serve as an important conduit for fossil gas during Argentina's winter months (June through September), with more than two dozen LNG shipments scheduled to arrive in 2024 to supplement pipeline imports from Bolivia.