Swedegas and Fluxys LNG start cooperation for LNG project in the port of Gothenburg
Swedegas is investing in a LNG bunkering facility in the Port of Gothenburg (Sweden). It will be the first LNG facility in the largest port of Scandinavia. Fluxys LNG will facilitate the delivery of LNG with the construction of a second truck loading station in Zeebrugge.
The investment in the Port of Gothenburg marks a starting point for an LNG facility that can be expanded in due course to also supply Swedish industry with liquefied natural gas. Delivering LNG in special isolated LNG-containers or LNG-trucks from Zeebrugge will enable a flexible response to demand for small-scale LNG on this emerging market. Furthermore, the project will consolidate the Zeebrugge LNG Terminal's standing as a major centre for small-scale LNG in Northwest Europe.
The imposition of increasingly stringent emission standards has been pushing up demand for environmentally sound marine fuel for a number of years. LNG is the cleanest shipping fuel and therefore the best alternative to heavy fuel oil and diesel, minimising emissions of sulphur and particulate matter. In addition, its use lowers carbon dioxide emissions by 21% and nitrogen dioxide emissions up to 90%.
The new LNG infrastructure in Sweden, comprising an unloading station, a cryogenic pipeline and bunkering equipment, will allow vessels to refuel with LNG while loading or unloading at the quayside. The current plan is for this infrastructure to become operational in 2018.
To accommodate the loading of LNG-containers and LNG-trucks bound for Gothenburg, Fluxys LNG is set to construct a second truck loading station at its LNG Terminal in Zeebrugge. This will keep waiting times to a minimum and enable the terminal to continue meeting rising demand.
The project is receiving financial support from the European Commission through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which subsidises projects that boost synergies between the transport and energy sectors with a view to achieving a low-carbon future and strengthening the internal European energy market.
