The second part of Europe's largest LNG terminal at South Hook in Wales has been fully commissioned, doubling the amount of gas it can deliver into the UK gas grid to 21 BCM a year, the operator said.
The first phase of the terminal owned by U.S. oil major ExxonMobil, Qatari gas giant Qatargas and France's Total officially opened in May 2009.
The first two storage tanks at the facility in the port of Milford Haven, each the size of London's Albert Hall concert venue, were brought into service a year ago. The three extra tanks and other equipment commissioned since then increase the terminal's total processing capacity to 15.6 million tonnes per year of LNG.
Most of South Hook's LNG will come from Qatar. Britain hopes increased LNG import capacity will help compensate for decling North Sea gas production.
(Reuters)
