May 28, 2024
The company is positioned as the operator in Europe with the most aggregate cargo capacity, contributing to the practical elimination of sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions.
Enagás has reinforced its position as a leading European operator in the decarbonization of maritime transport through the supply of liquefied natural gas (bunkering of LNG). The volume of LNG loaded as fuel by the plants operated by Enagás in 2023 amounted to 1,359 GWh, more than four times the figure achieved in 2021 (300 GWh).
This growth in the use of LNG has made it possible to stop emitting more than 74,000 tons of CO2 equivalents, as well as practically all emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides (SOx and NOx), improving the air quality of port environments.
Enagás has implemented comprehensive solutions by adapting its terminals and building supply barges, through its subsidiary Scale Gas, positioning itself as the European operator with the most aggregate cargo capacity.
Success of public-private collaboration
This progress is due to the success of public-private collaboration in projects such as the CORE LNGas hive and LNGhive2, co-financed by the European Commission. These initiatives, led by Puertos del Estado and coordinated by Enagás, have developed an integrated, safe and efficient logistics chain for the supply of LNG as fuel in the Iberian Peninsula.
The Enagás regasification plant in Barcelona can carry out bunkering straight (pipe to ship, PTS) and, since the ship began operating in Barcelona at the beginning of 2023 Haugesund Knutsen, co-owned by Knutsen and Scale Gas, supplies LNG as fuel also through small vessels (ship to ship, STS). Thanks to the operations of bunkering In the Port of Barcelona, 63,000 tons of CO have already been avoided2 equivalents.
With the start of ship operations Lift LNG, co-owned by Península and Scale Gas, the volume loaded in the first four months of 2024 at the Enagás Plant in Huelva has increased by 82% compared to the total supply in 2023. This terminal loads LNG on STS supply barges and will soon carry out PTS operations . In addition, Scale Gas is building a third LNG and BioLNG supply ship, with the support of the Spanish Government through the funds Next Generation, which will operate mainly in the Canary Islands from 2026.
The Enagás plant in Cartagena, a pioneer in Europe in offering PTS services, will soon also be able to offer the possibility of carrying out STS operations.
In addition to these three regasification plants, which are owned by Enagás 100%, the terminals majority owned by the company in Spain also provide regasification services. bunkering: El Musel in Gijón, Saggas in Sagunto and BBG in Bilbao offer tanker-to-ship services (Truck to Ship, TTS), and the latter also PTS.
Advancement of sustainable mobility in Europe
The decarbonization of maritime transport is advancing with increasingly ambitious objectives. In 2023, the European Union approved European Regulation 2023/1805, with annual carbon emissions reduction goals, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) last year reviewed its strategy to advance carbon neutrality to 2050.
Compared to traditional marine fuels, LNG practically eliminates sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions, reduces nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions by between 80 and 90%, and CO emissions by between 20 and 30%2. The use of LNG as maritime fuel in Spain will allow the reduction of emissions of about two million tons of CO until 20302, equivalent to replacing more than one million combustion vehicles with electric vehicles.
Faced with a growing demand for bunkering, Enagás is offering new solutions to ensure a cleaner and more sustainable future in maritime transport, increasing its abatement capacity—emission reduction—by promoting operations based on BioLNG.