Huelva LNG Terminal

This article is part of the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor and the Center for Media and Democracy.

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Huelva LNG Terminal is a liquified natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Andalusia, Spain.

Location

It is located at the mouth of the Tinto and Odiel rivers in Huelva, Andalusia, Spain.

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Project Details

• Owner:
• Parent: Enagás
• Location: Huelva, Andalusia, Spain
• Coordinates: 37.17355, -6.911 (exact)
• Capacity: 9 mtpa, 1.29 bcfd
• Additional Proposed Capacity: mtpa, 0 bcfd
• Status: Operating
• Type: Import
• Start Year: 1988

Note: mtpa = million tonnes per year; bcfd = billion cubic feet per day

Background

Huelva LNG Terminal is an LNG terminal in Andalusia, Spain. It commenced operations in 1988, with expansions completed in 1992, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2013.

Huelva LNG Terminal's facilities provide a storage capacity of 619,500 m³, can accommodate LNG carriers sized 29,500 m³ to 173,400 m³, and can load approximately 50 LNG trucks per day. Between 1988 and 2013, 1,556 LNG carriers were downloaded and 173,000 LNG trucks and 189 LNG carriers were loaded.

Opposition

Opposition groups have cited the low utilization rates among Spain's LNG terminals to call into question the necessity of such extensive LNG infrastructure. According to Food and Water Europe, "Since 2008, all LNG terminals (except for Mugardos) have been expanded and the total regasification capacity has increased by 8%, despite a decline in gas demand...even though the utilisation rate of Spain’s LNG regasification capacity was at only ~23% on average between January 2012 and March 2019, same as the low EU average during the same time period! The need to have so much LNG regasification capacity is questionable and best illustrated with the El Musel LNG Terminal (7bcm/y and a 300,000m³ storage capacity) which was completed in 2012 and then directly put into 'hibernation', 'until demand picks up'. The terminal has not been used since then. Despite large underutilization, Spain was the 5th biggest LNG importer with the 5th biggest liquefaction capacities worldwide in 2018, and for both cases number 1 in Europe (followed by France). Since at least 2016, Spain repeatedly imported cargoes of fracked US gas through its LNG terminals."