AG&P to open LNG import terminal early next year

MANILA, Philippines — Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific International Holdings (AG&P) plans to open by early next year its new Philippines LNG import terminal (PHLNG) facility, which is targeted to be the first liquefied natural gas import terminal in the country.

AG&P said the PHLNG facility in Batangas, which was previously eyed to be opened this year, is expected to deliver gas by March 2023.

“We look forward to opening the PHLNG LNG regasification terminal in early 2023, bringing LNG for the first time to the Philippines,” AG&P Group chairman and CEO Joseph Sigelman said.

The PHLNG import terminal will store LNG and dispatch natural gas to power plants, industrial and commercial customers, as well as other consumers, according to AG&P Terminals and Logistics president Karthik Sathyamoorthy.

“From day one, PHLNG will have a scalable onshore regasification capacity of 420 mmscfd (million standard cubic feet per day) and almost 200,000 cbn (cubic meters) of storage,” Sathyamoorthy said.

“The construction for two onshore tanks as part of PHLNG’s second phase has already started, and will be integrated as part of the main terminal in 2024, ensuring high availability and reliability of natural gas for our customers,” he said.

In line with its upcoming opening, AG&P said it has successfully converted the 137,512 cubic meter LNG carrier called ISH into a floating storage unit (FSU).

The ISH is a central component of the PHLNG, according to the company.

Ready to be docked at the PHLNG facility, AG&P said the FSU is part of the combined offshore-onshore import terminal that will have an initial capacity of five million tons per annum.

The hybrid PHLNG terminal is designed to provide its customers with resiliency of supply and high availability, even during storms, AG&P said.

AG&P last February signed a 15-year long-term charter agreement with ADNOC Logistics and Services for the supply, operations, and maintenance of its 137,512-cubic meter FSU for the PHLNG import terminal.

AG&P said its subsidiary, GAS Entec, completed the conversion to an FSU in record time.

With the modifications done by Gas Entec in the cargo handling and safety system that allows for simultaneous loading and discharge of LNG, the FSU will be capable of loading LNG at a peak rate of 10,000 cbm per hour and a discharge-to-shore peak rate of 8,000 cbm per hour.

“I am delighted to announce the successful completion of the FSU for our PHLNG Terminal that AG&P has executed in-house. This represents yet another milestone for Gas Entec, which continues to be a market leader in the conversion of LNG carriers into floating terminals, extending their productive life and opening new markets,” Sigelman said.