The Gijón Regasification Terminal could contribute up to 8 bcm of LNG capacity per year to Europe’s security of supply through ENAGAS

July 13, 2022

The Vice-President and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, the President of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón, and the Mayor of Gijón, Ana González, among other authorities, visited the El Musel terminal this afternoon, together with the CEO of Enagás, Arturo Gonzalo
Enagás has obtained the Administrative Authorisation for the El Musel regasification plant, a key step for the start-up of the Asturian terminal, which could be operational for logistical use within six to eight months
The Plant can contribute to the security of supply in Europe, with the capacity to unload and load 100 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers per year

The Vice-President and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, the President of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón, the Mayor of Gijón, Ana González, and the President of the Gijón Port Authority, Laureano Lourido, among other authorities, visited the El Musel Regasification Plant this afternoon, together with the CEO of Enagás, Arturo Gonzalo, after the terminal received the Administrative Authorisation from the Ministry.

This authorisation, which has been granted following a favourable report from the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC), is a key step for the start-up of the LNG terminal after the Ministry approved the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this infrastructure in May 2021.

For its definitive start-up, the process continues with the processing of the recognition of the economic regime by the CNMC ─a special regime so that it can be used as a plant for liquefied natural gas logistics services─, with the start-up order by the Ministry and with the technical set-up of the terminal by Enagás.

Enagás CEO, Arturo Gonzalo, said that “once this process is completed, the plant could be operational for logistics use within six to eight months”, and added that “more than 100 LNG carriers a year can be unloaded and loaded at the Gijón terminal, which represents a contribution of up to 8 bcm (billion cubic metres)”.

Contribution to Europe’s security of supply

The logistical use of the El Musel Regasification Plant will contribute to the security of supply in Europe, which is particularly relevant in the current European context of reducing dependence on Russian gas, as envisaged in the European document REPowerEU.

The terminal allows for the unloading of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers from various producer countries and the fast loading of ships to different European destinations.

The regasification plant has a storage capacity of 300,000 m³ of LNG, divided into two tanks of 150,000 m³ each. It also has berthing and unloading facilities designed for the world’s largest LNG carriers, the QMAX, of up to 266,000 m³.