A CEREMONY celebrating the unloading of the first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at a gas storage station in Dapeng New Area was held Sunday, marking the start of the trial operation of the gas reserve facility.

The facility can guarantee over seven days’ gas supply for the city’s emergent needs.

The project, launched in 2014 with a total investment of 1.6 billion yuan (US$0.23 billion), is the first city-operated gas reserve in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which is of significant importance to the area’s energy security, the Shenzhen Economic Daily said.

It includes an 80,000-cubic-meter LNG storage tank, gasification control equipment that can provide 240,000 cubic meters of gas per hour, five LNG unloading systems and a 50,000-ton LNG port capable of unloading a ship carrying a maximum of 90,000 cubic meters of LNG.

The project also built high-pressure and medium-pressure gas pipelines, which have been connected to the city’s high-pressure natural gas transport system to achieve connectivity between the reserve facility and the city’s natural gas pipeline network.

The project will be able to increase the city’s gas reserve capacity to 100,000 cubic meters from current 20,000 cubic meters. The gas use peak adjustment capability will rank near the highest in the country.

The reserve facility can be used to meet the city’s gas demand in the event that it is in short supply due to such problems as natural disasters and shortages occurring at the source.

The project has highlighted safety, protection of the environment and high quality in its construction. For instance, the tank used to hold LNG boasts high security features while occupying a small area. Boil-off gas will be directly linked to the city’s medium-pressure pipelines to save energy and reduce environmental pollution. Additionally, the project has achieved a qualified welding rate of 99.8 percent.

Shenzhen Gas will help with the unloading of the first tanker, which is expected to take six days.  

(Wang Jingli)