Projects

LNG to the Eight RegionMethane Jane Elizabeth arrival

On an exceptionally sunny day, the former minister of energy, Marcelo Tokman, the chief executive of ENAP, Rodrigo Azócar and the managers of GNL Chile and GNL Quintero, Eric Ahumada and Antonio Bacigalupo respectively, officially received the first LNG tanker, which sailed from Trinidad and Tobago and arrived at Quintero Bay to carry out the normal rigorous tests at this stage prior to the start-up of the LNG plant in Quintero.

With evident pride and enthusiasm, the minister of energy began by telling the press that “this is the result of the planning by two governments of the “Concertación” and the efforts of ENAP, which combined to bring about this mega project to provide security to the national energy matrix. It is also a demonstration that the country reacted to the serious difficulties suffered as a result of natural gas cuts by Argentina”, after sailing on a navy vessel, together with executives of ENAP, Endesa and BG, to where the tanker “Methane Jane Elizabeth” was at anchor.

“LNG is going to be a safe, competitive and profitable fuel”, said Minister Tokman who explained that Chile will be bringing LNG from countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Egypt, Qatar and Nigeria. “We were afraid every time we had gas cuts, but now with this plant, the gas supply will cease to be a risk for the country”, he stressed.

First LNG ship sails from Trinidad & Tobago to Quintero

In the presence of senior executives of the partners in the LNG project, ENAP, Endesa Chile, Metrogas and BG, plus government officials of Trinidad and Tobago, the sailing ceremony was held of the ship “Methane Jane Elizabeth” from Port of Spain, this vessel bringing the first shipment of liquefied natural gas to the LNG terminal in Quintero.

The ceremony was headed by the minister of foreign affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, Paula Gopee-Scoon, the Chilean minister of energy, Marcelo Tokman, the Chilean ambassador to the host country, Patricio Pradel, the chief executive of ENAP, Rodrigo Azócar, and his peers at Endesa Chile and Metrogas, Rafael Mateo and Eduardo Morandé respectively.

The event was held at the quay of BG’s LNG Atlantic liquefaction plant, to the starboard of “Methane Jane Elizabeth”, and the guests were welcomed by the president of BG Trinidad & Tobago, Bill Way. The minister of foreign affairs, Paula Gopee-Scoon, of the host country then spoke, followed by Minister Marcelo Tokman and others.

The chief executive of ENAP, Rodrigo Azócar, said that the “Methane Jane Elizabeth” would sail to South America by the Atlantic to enter Chile by the Magellan Straits and reach Quintero at the weekend of June 27. He said that both the sailing of the first LNG ship to Chile and its arrival there at the end of the month “constitute an historic landmark for our country because we are taking a transcendental step toward our energy autonomy and because, for ENAP, it is proud to have been the promoter of this project since May 2004 until its present completion”.

Rodrigo Azócar added that “since the start of production of the first oil wells in Magallanes 60 years ago, ENAP has been at the vanguard in the development of energy sources in Chile, exploring the hydrocarbon fields in Chile and abroad, building the refineries of Aconcagua, Bío Bío and Gregorio, promoting geothermal energy, and recently biofuels, and now actively participating in the supply of LNG in Chile”.

The “Methane Jane Elizabeth” is 283 meters long and carries 145,000 cubic meters of LNG at -160°C, and makes an uninterrupted voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, passing through the Magellan Straits, before docking at Quintero in the Fifth Region.

Pride for ENAP

The chief executive of ENAP, Rodrigo Azócar, recalled the precise moment when ex President Ricardo Lagos ordered ENAP to lead this project in May 2004, which meant making a public-private sector alliance with different investors.

“In August, we are going to be able to say that the country’s energy matrix was diversified and be able to state also that ENAP was capable of leading a solution that will imply security and stability in the supply of natural gas to the country’s central zone”, said Rodrigo Azócar.