Offshore staff
BOSTON– Excelerate Energy L.P.’s Northeast Gateway deepwater terminal in Massachusetts Bay reached a peak send-out flow rate of more than 800,000 MMbtu/d of LNG on Feb. 1, 2019.
This is a first for the terminal, the company said.
The operation was completed by two of Excelerate’s FSRUs,Exemplar and Express, discharging in parallel through the company’s proprietary offshore buoys.
During the coldest days of the year, demand for natural gas from residential customers rises in New England. Historically, during these times, as natural gas deliverability becomes constrained, power generators have to burn fuels such as oil, the company said.
This year, LNG imports from the Northeast Gateway facility have complimented the system, the company said, by suppling energy during this peak demand, allowing generators to continue burning natural gas.
The terminal is designed to respond to local market conditions in real time and can ramp up service to ensure energy providers meet customer demand. At a flow rate of 800,000 MMbtu/d, this represents approximately the average gas demand of power generators during recent January-February periods.
“Excelerate’s Northeast Gateway has helped New England prepare for the winter months by supplying natural gas to meet the increased energy demand of the region,” said Excelerate’s Managing Director Steven Kobos. “Deliveries of LNG directly into the Algonquin system helps to bring much-needed market stability and fuel security to the Northeast, an added benefit for consumers.”
Located 13 mi (21 km) offshore Boston, the company commissioned Northeast Gateway in 2008. The terminal consists of a dual submerged turret-loading buoy system which allows for the connection of the FSRUs that have been specifically designed to meet the conditions of the North Atlantic.
FSRUs act, in all aspects, like a land-based terminal and have the onboard capability to vaporize LNG and deliver natural gas directly into the existing subsea HubLine pipeline operated by Enbridge’s Algonquin Gas Transmission.
02/08/2019
