LNG

US company Pilot LNG, the developer of the Galveston LNG Bunker Port (GLBP) project in Texas, awarded the front-end engineering and design contract for marine infrastructure to W.F. Baird Associates.

“It was imperative that the company selected to carry out the FEED works for the Galveston LNG Bunker Port has an excellent track record of successfully executing marine terminal projects,” said Pilot Chief Executive Jonathan Cook.

“Our selection of Baird is in recognition of their unparalleled expertise and commitment to engineering and designing safe, reliable and efficient projects and we are happy to continue to work with Baird as a preferred partner in GLBP,” added Cook.

Pilot has already filed regulatory applications with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and other relevant regulatory agencies, possibly paving the way for a final investment decision in 2022.

According to the company, the main LNG storage facilities are expected to be located on Pelican Island in Galveston County in Texas.

Regulations

As international regulators tighten emissions standards, the maritime industry is increasingly turning towards LNG as the marine fuel of choice due to its significantly lower emissions profile and cost competitiveness.

Analysts said the Galveston Bay area was an ideal location to add LNG bunkering infrastructure.

It has more than 10,500 deep-water vessel visits per annum and over 133,000 tug/tow movements on the Houston Ship Channel, as well as being the nation’s fourth busiest cruise terminal.

“To further mitigate operational impacts, Pilot has chosen to utilize electric drives powered by electricity sourced 100 percent from Texas renewable energy, eliminating virtually all operating emissions related to the facility and likely making the GLBP project one of the greenest facilities of its type anywhere in the world,” explained Pilot LNG.

Baird will provide a variety of services to Pilot LNG, including design of marine structures, metocean modelling including storm surge and tidal currents, dredging design and dredged material placement analysis.

Pilot LNG said that Baird’s Houston office would lead the assessment with support from the company’s other North American and international offices.

“The GLBP project will provide one of the US’s largest industrial port complexes, comprising the ports of Houston, Galveston, and Texas City, with the infrastructure needed to supply clean fuel to the growing global LNG bunker market,” added Pilot LNG.

Stabilis Solutions, the liquefaction plant operator and supplier to the small-scale LNG market in the United States, has completed the acquisition of another facility in Louisiana.

The LNG supply company in the US state of Florida owned by Pivotal LNG and NorthStar Midstream, plans to increase the liquefaction capabilities to 360,000 gallons per day and double its storage capacity to 4 million gallons using the growing expertise of construction services companies in the US small-scale LNG sector.

Edge LNG, a US company involved in delivering LNG to market by converting stranded and flared natural gas, has unveiled its new facility in Midland in Texas to meet growing demand for its services.

The new premises will hold operating equipment of both Edge LNG and Galileo Technologies, it’s exclusive technology partner, and will additionally be home to the first training center for both companies.

Located in the heart of the Permian Basin, the 10,000 square feet premises allows Edge LNG access to all major transport links which are vital in the transportation of LNG.

The new site will act as a focal point for Edge LNG’s Permian operations, bringing the company closer to its customers.

It will allow customers to see equipment first-hand and offer the opportunity to attend training sessions to better understand the company’s business model and operations.

“This is an exciting time for the LNG market and after a challenging year we are seeing growth in the Permian,” said Jonathan Brignac, Vice President of Business Development at Edge LNG.

“Not only does the opening of our facility underline our commitment to our customers, it highlights our commitment to the Permian, where we see so much opportunity and potential to expand our business,” added Brignac.

“Our investment here allows us to provide a cleaner alternative to diesel for operators, replace the need for flaring or venting and unlock the potential of stranded wells,” he explained.

Edge LNG has marketed the trade-marked Cryobox-Trailer, designed and manufactured by Galileo Technologies.

Each unit can produce around 10,000 gallons (15 metric tons) of LNG per day, directly from the well or flare.

Galileo Technologies is both an investor and exclusive technology partner of Edge LNG.

Edge LNG said its new office is located at 6412 S County Road in Midland.

The company said its proven Cryobox technology is ideal for mobile liquefaction and is delivered by trailer.

Each Cryobox unit can begin production within hours and can convert 1 million BTU of gas per day.

Founded in 2018, Edge LNG’s unit, Edge Gathering Virtual Pipelines 2 LLC, purchases the Cryobox units directly from manufacturer Galileo Global, which is also a shareholder.

US federal regulators have issued a final rule allowing the bulk transport of liquefied natural gas in specialized tanks on rail cars to help boost the small-scale LNG projects sector across America.

The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has carried out a construction inspection of the small-scale LNG liquefaction project in Providence, Rhode Island, being built under an expansion permit by the US subsidiary of UK company, National Grid plc.

The US Department of Energy has authorised two small-scale LNG export projects to ship ISO containers of the fuel overseas after being delivered by trucks to cargo vessels at various ports in the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

US LNG distribution company NuBlu Energy has opened a small-scale liquefaction plant with a modular design along the Mississippi River at Port Allen in Louisiana to supply high-horsepower fuel users in the region, including trucks and inland waterway vessels.