​Project CORE LNGas hive's Ports Ready to Supply Ships with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

• The latest developments of the CORE LNGas hive project were presented in Algeciras today
• This project is supported by the European Commission, the Spanish government and the Algeciras Bay Port Authority to promote decarbonisation in the maritime transportation sector
• The 3rd CORE LNGas hive Conference was inaugurated by the President of Puertos del Estado, Salvador de la Encina, the President of the Algeciras Bay Port Authority, Gerardo Landaluce, and the General Director of Infrastructure at Enagás, Claudio Rodríguez
• As part of the conference, a panel discussion was held on the implementation of LNG as a fuel with regards to specific future developments in Algeciras
• The event also provided the framework to present the results of a study of demand and logistics chains

4/24/2019 (Ministry of Public Works). The 3rd CORE LNGas hive Conference was held today to foster the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the most sustainable fuel in the transportation sector, especially the maritime transportation sector. The event was inaugurated by the President of Puertos del Estado, Salvador de la Encina, the President of the Algeciras Bay Port Authority (ABPA), Gerardo Landaluce, and the General Director of Infrastructure at Enagás, Claudio Rodríguez.

During the conference, project developments, as well as the European Commission and the Spanish government's support to promote decarbonization in the maritime transportation sector, especially in ports, were explained.

The main developments included adaptation and development of infrastructure, as well as LNG application to multimodal transport, which will facilitate bunkering/small scale services in the Iberian Peninsula. 

The President of Puertos del Estado, Salvador de la Encina, stressed that Spain and Spanish ports are, in his own words, "benchmarks in technology and LNG handling." "Spain already has its basic infrastructure—six working plants in ports, representing 40% of Europe's overall storage capacity and 5.35% of the world's," he said.

"With current efforts, Algeciras is aiming to establish itself as a benchmark in using liquefied natural gas in the maritime transport sector," the President of the APBA, Gerardo Landaluce, said.  "Remember that in 2012 Algeciras became the first place in Spain to supply LNG as a maritime fuel. It is now supplying LNG by using tanks," he said. Under the law, ships that are LNG-powered are granted a higher discount off the port dues. Gerardo Landaluce also emphasized the need to have a competitive regulatory framework in issues such as tolls to access gas-importing plants.

"This project will allow Spain to be Europe's leading nation in the maritime sector's energy transition process. This leadership is based on the now 50 years of history that LNG has in our country and extensively reaffirmed by our developments in innovative, competitive, and sustainable logistics that has allowed us to meet the Community Guidelines directive on targeting attention capacities to the sector's demands five years ahead of schedule," the General Director of Infrastructure at Enagás, Claudio Rodríguez, said.

Representing the European Commission, José Fernandez-García from the Ports Unit shared with the attendees how Spanish ports may use the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to be granted financing.

Study of LNG Demand and Supply Logistics Chains

As part of the conference, a "Study of LNG Demand and Supply Logistics Chains", as well as a tool that is able to design and parameterize LNG supply logistics chains, were presented. According to the tool, LNG supply in the Algeciras port and the other Strait's ports will be particularly competitive.

About this project

The aim of CORE LNGas hive is to foster the supply of LNG as a fuel for the transportation sector in the Iberian Peninsula, especially the maritime transportation sector. Coordinated by Enagás and led by Puertos del Estado, the project CORE LNGas hive is a public-private effort involving 42 partners from Spain and Portugal, including 21 public partners—8 state-owned institutions and 13 port authorities—and 21 private partners—LNG operators, shipbuilding companies, regasification plants, and other businesses.

As of today, LNG is maritime transportation's sole real and sustainable option. Compared with conventional fuels, it provides a 20-30% reduction in CO2 emissions, eliminates emissions of sulphur oxide (SOx) and particulate matter (PM), and drastically reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx), which will facilitate complying with increasingly tight environmental regulations in the maritime sector and moving towards the decarbonization of the Atlantic and Mediterranean corridors, in line with the EU's strategy on alternative fuels infrastructure (Clean Power for Transport Package).