Sonatrach Skikda LNG Terminal
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Sonatrach Skikda LNG Terminal is an LNG terminal in Skikda Province, Algeria.
Contents
Location
Description
Skikda LNG terminal currently consists of four natural gas liquefaction trains, with a total capacity of 7.7 million metric tons per year (mtpa), or 1.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd). Three trains are from the original build, and one is a rebuild following an explosion. It is owned by Sonatrach, an Algerian state-owned hydrocarbon resources company.[1][2][3][4]
Original GL1K & GL2K units
Until 2004, Skikda consisted of six gas liquefaction trains, with a total capacity around 5 mtpa. The trains were built between 1972 and 1981.[2][5] In a 2004 explosion, three of the six trains were destroyed and only one was ever rebuilt.
GL1K explosion
On January 19, 2004, three of the trains at Skikda were destroyed in a massive explosion. The blast killed 27 people, and injured 80; it shook windows a mile away. "The force of the blast overturned security vehicles and ambulances that were parked near the facilities, and the heat was so intense that it melted the vehicles' metal structures."[5]
A later report found that a large amount of liquid natural gas had escaped through a pipe, and then formed a large vapor cloud that hovered over the facility, which then ignited. The explosion was the worst accident in more than 30 years for the LNG industry, and it strengthened opponents of LNG, while putting supporters of the industry's expansion on the defensive.[6][7]
The three trains that exploded were a complete loss; however, the other three trains, totaling 3.2 mtpa, or 64% of the plant's pre-explosion capacity, were still intact, and continued to operate.
GL1K rebuild
In 2005, Sonatrach launched a project to build a new single liquefaction train, with 4.5 mtpa capacity. The project cost $2.8 billion. U.S. company KBR was selected to be the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor in 2007.[8][9] The train went into service in 2013.[4]
Project details
- Owner: Sonatrach
- Parent: Government of Algeria
- Location: Skikda, Skikda District, Skikda Province, Algeria
- Coordinates:36.8779, 6.9415 (exact)
- Capacity: 7.7 mtpa, 1.1 bcfd
- Status: Operating
- Type: Export
- Start Year: 1972-1981, 2013
Note: mtpa = million tonnes per year; bcfd = billion cubic feet per day
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ Sonatrach Skikda LNG Terminal, Wikipedia, accessed April 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gordon Shearer & Michael Tusiani. LNG: A Nontechnical Guide. Tulsa: Pennwell, 2007, pp. 254-256.
- ↑ The LNG Industry: Annual Report 2017, International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers, accessed June 2017.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 LNG Map 2016, Gas Infrastructure Europe, accessed June 2017.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jacob Dweck & Sonia Boutillon. Deadly LNG Incident Holds Key Lessons For Developers, Regulators. Pipeline & Gas Journal, May 2004.
- ↑ Algerian Explosion Stirs Foes of U.S. Gas Projects, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2004.
- ↑ Industry: Skikda accident would not happen in the US, Oil & Gas Journal, 27 Jan. 2004.
- ↑ KBR Awarded EPC Contract for Sonatrach Skikda LNG Project, KBR press release, 9 July 2007.
- ↑ Sonatrach Skikda LNG Terminal, A Barrel Full, accessed June 2017.
