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LNG to the Eight RegionWhat is LNG?

Liquefied natural gas is natural gas in liquid form which is extracted from the subsoil and is used as an energy source in various areas of modern life, from moving a turbine for generating electricity to fuel for heating the home and cooking.

The natural gas extracted from land or sea gasfields is cooled to a liquid state. This conversion to liquefied gas reduces its volume 600 times which facilitates its transport in tankers and allows its storage pending regasification and delivery to the markets. Weighing close to 45% of the weight of water, LNG is odourless and colourless and is not corrosive or toxic. It is also safe as there have been no fatal accidents in several decades in communities close to its installations.

The liquefaction of natural gas dates back to early in the 20th century. While the first refrigeration machine for compression was built in Munich in 1873, the first LNG installation was only in 1912, in West Virginia, starting its operations five years later. The first commercial liquefaction installation was built in 1941 in Cleveland, Ohio. In January 1959, the Methane Pioneer carried the first LNG cargo from Louisiana to Canvey Island in the United Kingdom, demonstrating that large volumes of liquefied natural gas could be transported by sea safely.