Huelva LNG Terminal

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Huelva LNG Terminal is a liquified natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Andalusia, Spain.

Location

It is located at the mouth of the Tinto and Odiel rivers in Huelva, Andalusia, Spain.

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Project Details

  • Owner: Enagás[1][2]
  • Location: Huelva, Andalusia, Spain
  • Coordinates: 37.17355, -6.911 (exact)
  • Capacity: 8.7 mtpa[2]
  • Status: Operating
  • Type: Import
  • Start Year: 1988[2]

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

Background

Huelva LNG Terminal is an LNG terminal in Andalusia, Spain.[3] It commenced operations in 1988, with expansions completed in 1992, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2013.[4]

Huelva LNG Terminal's facilities provide a storage capacity of 619,500 m3, can accommodate LNG carriers sized 29,500 m3 to 173,400 m3, and can load approximately 50 LNG trucks per day.[5] Between 1988 and 2013, 1,556 LNG carriers were downloaded and 173,000 LNG trucks and 189 LNG carriers were loaded.[5]

As of December 2018, the Huelva complex was one of Spain's three busiest LNG terminals, along with the Bilbao LNG Terminal and the Mugardos LNG Terminal.[6] The trend has continued, with Huelva operating at 38% of its capacity in 2019, ranking second only to Bilbao (76%).[7]

A multitruck-to-ship system is currently being added to the Huelva LNG terminal to facilitate bunkering operations through trucks in the port of Huelva. It is expected to be operational by summer 2021 with bunkering operations starting by the end of 2021.[8]

Opposition

Opposition groups have cited the low utilization rates among Spain's LNG terminals to call into question the necessity of such extensive LNG infrastructure. According to Food and Water Europe in 2019 (prior to the re-opening of El Musel LNG Terminal), "Since 2008, all LNG terminals (except for Mugardos) have been expanded and the total regasification capacity has increased by 8%, despite a decline in gas demand...even though the utilisation rate of Spain’s LNG regasification capacity was at only ~23% on average between January 2012 and March 2019, same as the low EU average during the same time period! The need to have so much LNG regasification capacity is questionable and best illustrated with the El Musel LNG Terminal (7bcm/y and a 300,000m³ storage capacity) which was completed in 2012 and then directly put into 'hibernation', 'until demand picks up'. The terminal has not been used since then. Despite large underutilization, Spain was the 5th biggest LNG importer with the 5th biggest liquefaction capacities worldwide in 2018, and for both cases number 1 in Europe (followed by France). Since at least 2016, Spain repeatedly imported cargoes of fracked US gas through its LNG terminals."[9]

Articles and resources

References

  1. "Planta de Huelva". Enagás. Retrieved 2021-01-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers (May 24, 2022). "Annual Report 2022 Edition" (PDF). GIIGNL. Retrieved July 5, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. Huelva LNG Terminal, GEO, accessed April 2017
  4. Huelva LNG Terminal, A Barrel Full, 10 Dec. 2014.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Spain: Huelva LNG Terminal Celebrates 25th Anniversary, LNG World News, 28 Jun. 2013
  6. "La regasificadora de Sagunto alcanza un mínimo de utilización del 0% tras una inversión de 500 millones". El Diario. December 25, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "La terminal de GNL de Mugardos es la tercera más utilizada del sistema español en 2019 | Revista Ingeniería Naval". Sector Marítimo. January 17, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. GIIGNL 2021 Annual Report, accessed May 5, 2021
  9. Spain Food and Water Europe, accessed December 6, 2019

Related GEM.wiki articles

External resources

External articles