First LNG delivery for power generation in Brazil

Source: M&E

The plants that received the natural gas were Termoceará, a Petrobras unit, and Termofortaleza, which belongs to Endesa. The former is capable of producing 220 MW, consuming 1.4 million cubic meters per day, while the latter 346 MW, consuming 1.55 million cubic meters of the product per day. During these nine days, the thermoelectric plants generated an average of 105 MW (Termoceará) and 163 MW (Termofortaleza), with generation peaks of 220 MW and 339 MW, respectively, derived from the bigger flows of regasified LNG.

The regasification process was carried out at Transpetro’s Pecém LNG terminal (in the state of Ceará). The LNG cargo was stored aboard the Golar Spirit vessel, the first in the world converted to store and regasify LNG aboard.

This was the first time this FSRV (Floating, Storage, and Regasification Vessel) type ship regasified LNG.

After the process of transforming LNG to the gaseous state, the natural gas was transferred non-stop, for nine days in a row – by means of a compressed natural gas transfer arm (CNG – 100 kgf/cm2) installed at the terminal – to a 22.5-km long gas pipeline, built to interconnect the LNG terminal to the Guamaré-Pecém (Gasfor) gas pipeline. The gas pipeline used to interconnect the terminal to Gasfor was build parallelly to the LNG terminal construction process.

The regasification procedure was the main testing stage to which the Pecém LNG terminal was submitted during its construction and commissioning phases. The terminal is capable of regasifying 7 million cubic meters per day.

All of the activities were carried out in compliance with strict international operating safety standards.

During nine days (January 18 to 26), the regasification plant, installed aboard the Golar Spirit, operated at different regasified LNG volume flow levels. During this period, Termoceará and Termofortaleza were fully available, modulating the amount of electric energy generated from the volume of natural gas shipped from the terminal.

In Pecém, the regasified natural gas was within the quality standards required by the Brazilian norm (NPA Resolution No. 16/2008). The natural gas was collected and its quality analyzed on January 19, proving it was appropriate for use in any market segment (thermal and non-thermal). The results were forwarded to the National Petroleum Agency (NPA).

The ion of LNG in Brazil ensures more flexibility and safety in natural gas supply to the thermal and non-thermal markets by providing new sources of supply to the country. LNG will be used, prioritarily, to supply the needs of the thermoelectric power plants.

Learn more about LNG
As the name suggests, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (NG) in its liquid state. Liquefaction (passage from the gaseous state to the liquid state) takes place after the product is cooled to minus 162oC. Therefore, the volume of the natural gas is reduced 600-fold, facilitating transportation. To return it to its gaseous form, the natural gas is submitted to a physical regasification process, which increases the gas’ temperature in the liquid phase, causing the product to return to the gaseous state.