NEXT GENERATION OF LNG REGASIFICATION TERMINAL THROUGH TG'S PROFOUND KNOWLEDGE - TOKYO GAS HITACHI LNG TERMINAL-

摘要

Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd., the world's 4th-largest LNG importer, imports 17 MTPA of LNG with our own shipping fleet at 3 regasification terminals along Tokyo Bay. It has been steadily supplying city gas, as the Japan's largest gas supplier, which has over 10 million city gas customers and many industrial customers including power stations. The demand for natural gas has been increasing since the magnitude-9 Great East Japan Earthquake, which struck on March 11, 2011. This is giving Tokyo Gas an even greater role to play as an energy supplier in the aspect of providing for energy resources and assuring energy security. Under these circumstances, Tokyo Gas, creating robust supplying chain, decided to construct a fourth LNG regasification terminal in the vicinity of Hitachi, about 130 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. One of the features of the Hitachi LNG Terminal is the ability to deal with LNG of various calorific types, from the conventional rich types to the super-lean types such as coal bed methane (CBM) and shale gas, with new-type LNG jet mixing system against LNG stratification in a tank. Furthermore the terminal will be equipped with an aboveground LNG tank with a capacity of 230,000 cubic meters, the world's largest. It will be constructed in a challengingly short period of time which is less than 3 years with the technology for shortening construction periods. TG's profound knowledge acquired over the last 40 years of experience in engineering, operation and maintenance will enable us to build a terminal of the very latest kind of technology such as accommodating with LNG calorific diversification and the largest LNG tank. This paper presents an overview of the Hitachi LNG terminal facilities, which incorporate the most advanced technology.