The growing importance of LNG in recent years is related to the overall increase in demand for natural gas.
The use of liquefied natural gas is to support the development of LNG transport options and, in particular, the expansion of the methane fleet (204 units in 2006, another 145 ships by 2010 – data by: The Maritime Business Strategies data LLC), as well as the high price competitiveness of LNG in with gas transported by pipeline.
The location of gas deposits around the world in places that are difficult to connect by pipeline with the countries that are the main recipients of this gas is also of great importance for the growing interest in LNG.
The use of liquefied natural gas is also an excellent method to cover peak gas requirements (peak consumption coverage).
Basic advantages of LNG:
Supply flexibility – LNG is a proven method in terms of an effective way to diversify gas supplies for certain countries, as well as to cover peak gas demand.
Output– during liquefaction of natural gas into LNG, its capacity is reduced by approx. 600 times. This means that after regasification from 100 m3 of LNG, we get 60,000 m3 of natural gas.
Economy– the cost of transporting and storing LNG (above about 2000 km) is lower than the cost of natural gas. This affects, among other things, the ability to choose suppliers from different parts of the world (costs of purchasing and optimizing transport).
Ecology– natural gas is an ecological fuel. It emits much less air pollutants during combustion than coal, oil or other extracted fuels. In addition, liquefied natural gas was purified – it contains 95% methane with a small proportion of other components (approximately 5%). LNG is therefore a very pure fuel with no toxic or corrosive properties.
Safety– in the event of a leak, LNG simply evaporates and dilutes in the atmosphere. It is a much less harmful and dangerous fuel than oil or LPG. It is not possible to pollute the environment (sea, soil) in case of LNG leakage. Modern technologies used in the construction of LNG (“full-containment”) containers, as well as special procedures and safety systems, ensure an exceptionally high level of safety of regasification terminals.