Saldanha Bay FSRU
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Saldanha Bay FSRU is a proposed LNG import terminal in Western Cape, South Africa.
Location
The terminal is proposed for along the Saldanha Bay in Western Cape province.
Project Details
- Operator:
- Owner: Karpowership
- Parent company: Karadeniz Holdings
- Location: Saldanha Bay, Western Cape province, South Africa
- Coordinates: -33.034722, 18.009722 (approximate)
- Capacity:
- Status: Proposed
- Type: Import
- Start Year:
- Associated Infrastructure: Karpowership Saldanha power station, Richards Bay FSRU, Coega FSRU
Note: mtpa = million tonnes per year; bcfd = billion cubic feet per day
Background
In October 2016 the South Africa DoE, together with Transnet National Ports Authority, said it had completed its 18-month study on the suitability of locating an LNG import terminal at each of the Ports of Ngqura (Coega), Richards Bay and Saldanha Bay in South Africa. The studies showed that a terminal at Saldanha Bay requires substantial work, and therefore the DOE would focus on the Coega FSRU Terminal and Richards Bay LNG Terminal. However, the DOE said the terminal at Saldanha Bay has not been abandoned, and the development of the project “remains an opportunity in the next phase of the LNG-to-power program."[1][2]
In February of 2020, Saldanha Bay, along with Richards Bay and Coega Bay, have been proposed as possible locations for a new FSRU import terminal, suggesting renewed interest in the terminal.[3]
Karpowership South Africa FSRU Plans
In April 2022, Engineering News reported that Karpowership was showcasing an FSRU vessel in Cape Town, and that it planned to deploy three vessels to Richards Bay, Saldhana Bay, and Coega to generate a total of 1.2 MW of power. Karpowership vessels are designed to regasify LNG and generate power.[4] The power plant attributes of the facility are described on the page for Karpowership Saldanha power station within the Global Gas Plant Tracker.
In August 2023, Global Energy Monitor's Inside Gas wrote: "Despite two years of delays, Karpowership’s director for South Africa, Mehmet Katmer, has said he is confident of advancing the company’s three floating gas-to-power projects through a third public participation process. The proposals at the ports of Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay, and Ngqura (Coega) that would involve the importing of LNG have so far failed to gain environmental clearance, with NGOs raising concerns over adverse impacts on fishing and marine life. However, Katmer believes that environmental licenses for all three projects could be issued by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment within months, and Karpowership would be ready to implement them before the end of next year. The state-run power utility Eskom has also recently granted the company an extension to access to the South African grid until the end of 2023."[5]
In January 2024, Inside Gas said that Karpowerships projects were "almost dead in the water," after the state-owned power utility Eskom took away the company's grid access rights, as it had not met a December 31 financial close deadline for its three gas-to-power projects proposed at South African ports.[6]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ South Africa selects ports to develop LNG-to-power infrastructure, LNG World News, 6 Oct. 2016.
- ↑ "FSRU's – the great game changer," DataFusion Associates, Jan 2017
- ↑ Terence Creamer, Consortium makes Richards Bay gas-to-power proposal in response to DMRE’s call for emergency solutions Engineering News, February 7, 2020
- ↑ Arnoldi, Marleny. "Karpowership showcases FSRU vessel, highlights floating gas-to-power benefits". www.engineeringnews.co.za. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ↑ "Issue 49: LNG strike talks continue in Australia; Nigeria's "Decade of Gas" plan advances; U.S. utility fined for "renewable" gas claims - Global Energy Monitor". Global Energy Monitor. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ Global Energy Monitor. Inside Gas. January 11, 2024.
