LNG bunkering terminal leads the way with its unique design
When it opens this spring, the Tacoma LNG plant, a jointly owned endeavor between Puget Sound Energy and its commercial sister company Puget LNG, will be the first liquefied natural gas bunkering terminal on the west coast of North America—and it will be pioneering in other ways, too, according to the utility.
The project, located in the Port of Tacoma in the Pacific Northwest, will provide LNG for natural gas customers and maritime transportation needs. The plant was designed to simultaneously provide LNG for Puget LNG’s commercial customers and the necessary natural gas reserves for PSE’s utility customers, thus optimizing resources without compromising supply.
“This is particularly important for our key customer, TOTE Maritime, and their need to have their two Alaska-bound ships bunkered weekly with LNG,” said Blake Littauer, business development manager for Puget LNG.
Additionally, Littauer told American Gas, “We know our customers and the communities we serve want cleaner energy. LNG would immediately reduce black carbon from diesel emissions, which contribute to global warming. In the maritime industry, there are currently no other alternatives, so LNG is something we can do today.”
The underground LNG pipeline also features an ingenious, first-of-its-kind design. Instead of a traditional bunkering barge, the Tacoma LNG facility will fill ships directly from the tank via a dedicated bunkering arm, supplying up to 2,640 gallons per minute from a new pier in the port’s Blair Waterway, according to the utility.
“Underground LNG pipelines like these are a rarity, and none in the world directly compare to Tacoma LNG’s design, with its vacuum-jacketed supply line, nitrogen-purged casing and underground depth of 11 feet,” the utility said in a news release.
The tunnel that houses the pipeline represents another engineering feat, extending for 800 feet along rights-of-way beneath TOTE’s facility, including crossing under a public street and two railroad tracks.
The system underwent a rigorous three-year process to gain government approval. In a further nod to safety innovation, the facility sits atop about 2,000 concrete columns that are 36 inches in diameter and extend to a depth of 80 to 100 feet, creating an island of improved soil that will remain in place even in the event of an earthquake.
The utility says it is prioritizing the port’s unique environment by taking steps to significantly restore habitat in the surrounding waterways for fish and other marine life.
In other LNG news, Sempra reached a final investment decision on Energia Costa Azul, an LNG export facility in Baja California, the only Energia LNG export project globally to reach a final investment decision in 2020. It is expected to be the first LNG export terminal on the Pacific coast to connect the abundant natural gas supplies of the U.S. Western states, including Texas, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico, to markets in Mexico and countries across the Pacific Basin.