Sines LNG Terminal
Sines LNG Terminal is an operating LNG import terminal in Alentejo, Portugal.
Location
The map below shows the location of the terminal, in Sines Municipality, Setúbal Distrinct, Alentejo Region.
Project Details
- Operator: Ren Atlântico[1]
- Owner: REN Atlântico Terminal de GNL SA
- Parent: REN
- Location: Sines Municipality, Setúbal District, Alentejo Region, Portugal
- Coordinates: 37.9419, -8.8435 (exact)
- Type: Import
- Capacity: 5.6 mtpa[1]
- Status: Operating
- Start Year: 2004[2][1]
Note: mtpa = million tonnes per year; bcm/y = billion cubic meters per year
Background
Sines LNG Terminal is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal in Setúbal District, Portugal. Construction began on the plant in 2000, and was conducted by Engie subsidiary Tractebel; the terminal was completed in 2004. REN bought the terminal from Transgás in 2006.[3][4][2][5]
An expansion was constructed in 2008-12.[6] In June 2018 Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced that Portugal was seeking to deepen the port at Sines to handle greater LNG shipments.[7] The terminal accounts for 55% of gas entering Portugal. Overall, Portugal's annual gas import capacity is over twice what it consumes annually.[8]
As a deep water port with direct access to the Atlantic, Sines enjoys a privileged position for handling seaborne LNG traffic from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas; however, limited pipeline infrastructure on the Iberian peninsula currently makes it a less attractive hub for overland gas distribution to the rest of Europe.[9]
In April of 2016, the terminal became the first European facility to receive fracked US LNG, and has since then imported U.S. gas regularly.[10] Sines remains a key hub for receiving shipments of U.S. gas and re-exporting them to other European countries such as Poland.[11]
In February 2020, U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette visited the port of Sines and reaffirmed the United States' continued strong interest in exporting LNG to Europe via Portugal, especially in light of recent plans to expand the port.[12][13]
Traffic at the Sines terminal reached new heights in 2019, with 67 LNG carriers docking at the terminal compared with 45 in 2018.[14]
In April 2022, the director of the Sines port, Jose Luis Cacho, speculated that the terminal's import capacity could be doubled to 10 mtpa within one to two years.[15] As European countries sought to diversify their gas supply sources away from Russia, in May 2022 Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki indicated that Poland would be interested in cooperating with Portugal on LNG trans-shipping.[16] In July 2022, a Portuguese government spokesman said that talks were advancing with European countries such as Germany and Poland about the trans-shipment of LNG from the Sines terminal. A Portuguese government feasibility study had found that "with the existing infrastructure and simultaneous operations, Sines could transfer to central and northern Europe up to 10 billion cubic meters (353 billion cu ft) of LNG annually" within six to 12 months. To do so, a 12 million (US$12.3 million) investment in new equipment was planned, but this would not immediately involve expanding the terminal's storage facilities. The option to expand the terminal could happen "if there is robust demand with long-term prospects," and was estimated to require three years for construction at a cost of 100 million euros.[17]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sines LNG Terminal, A Barrel Full, accessed July 2017
- ↑ Sines LNG Terminal, Global Energy Observatory, accessed April 2017
- ↑ LNG Terminal, REN website, accessed July 2017
- ↑ TGN Terminal, Porto de Sines website, accessed July 2017
- ↑ Sines LNG terminal expansion, Tractebel website, accessed July 2017.
- ↑ Sines port looks to increase LNG capacity, Ports Europe, Jun. 6, 2018
- ↑ Portugal, Food and Water Europe, accessed December 6, 2019
- ↑ "How can Portugal's Port of Sines play a bigger role in assuring energy security in the European Union?". Atlantic Council. June 23, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Portugal, Food and Water Europe, accessed December 6, 2019
- ↑ "Porto de Sines voltou a bater em 2019 o seu recorde diário de regaseificação de GNL". Revista Cargo - Transportes e Logística. May 20, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "U.S. firms keen to expand Portugal's Sines port for LNG trade: energy secretary". Reuters. February 12, 2020.
- ↑ ""Existe interesse americano" no Porto de Sines, diz secretário da Energia dos EUA". ECO. February 12, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Terminal de gás natural de Sines alcançou máximos históricos em 2019". Dinheiro Vivo. January 21, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Portugal's Sines Port Ready To Double Gas Capacity Portugal, Agence France Presse, Apr. 7, 2022
- ↑ Anna Koper, Pawel Florkiewicz,Poland interested in trans-shipping LNG through Portugal, Reuters, May 20, 2022
- ↑ Portugal's Sines Port Ready to Transfer LNG to Rest of Europe, VesselFinder, Jul. 20, 2022
