- The Sagunto Regasification Plant receives a Q-Max for the first time.
- This is the largest amount of Liquid Natural Gas to be unloaded in the whole of Spain.
Sagunto, 6 September 2010. Today, for the first time since they came into commercial operation in 2006, Saggas saw the arrival of a Q-Max class methane tanker. One of the largest in the world, the tanker, known as Al Dafna and of Qatar nationality and origin, unloaded nearly the whole of its Liquid Natural Gas cargo at Saggas.
This operation constitutes the largest unloading of LNG that has taken place in Spain to date. It is the second time that Spain has received a tanker of this kind. Saggas is equipped with a docking bay suitable for receiving Q-Max class methane tankers, though until now it had never received one.
Al Dafna has the capacity to transport a total of 266,000 m3 of LNG and measures 345 metres in length, 54 metres in width and 23 metres in height. The methane tanker is equipped with the latest technology in emissions and environmental conservation and is highly efficient in terms of its fuel consumption. Q-Max class vessels can transport a cargo some 80% larger than conventional methane tankers and consume 40% less energy.
Production figures for in 2010
Between 1 January and 31 August 2010, Saggas received 52 methane tankers, which means that so far this year it has unloaded a total volume of 5,328,791 m3 of LNG. Since it entered into operation in April 2006, Saggas has turned the Valencian Community into an abundant source for this type of energy.
The regasification plant has the capacity to meet up to 23% of Spain’s demand for natural gas. Also, Sagunto has become something of a national benchmark in energy production, having reinforced the security of the national gas system and diversified Spain’s points of entry for natural gas. The origins of the LNG received at Saggas are very diverse: Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Qatar, Trinidad and Tobago, and Oman, among others.
Saggas shareholders include Unión Fenosa Gas, RREEF Alternative Investments, Endesa Generación and Oman Oil Holdings Spain. The energy facility has turned Sagunto into one of the main points of entry for gas on mainland Spain thanks to its strategic position along the Mediterranean rim, close to the producer countries of Northern Africa and the Middle East.
