Excelerate’s FSRU Experience breaks send-out capacity record

Provider of floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) Excelerate Energy has reached a record-breaking send-out capacity of 1.06 billion cubic feet (bcf) of natural gas on its FSRU Experience.

Excelerate said that the 1.06 bcf send-out capacity was reached on September 16. According to the company, the capacity was an industry record.

The operation was completed by Brazilian energy major Petrobras during a performance test at the Guanabara Bay LNG regasification terminal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The test was conducted as a requirement for authorization to expand the terminal’s operational capacity from .71 BCF to its maximum capacity of 1 BCF.

The test is one of the requirements of the authorization process for the expansion of Guanabara Bay LNG terminal. Its operational capacity will rise from 20 to 30 million cubic meters per day.

The terminal’s integrated gas pipeline is 15 kilometres long, 10 kilometres underwater and 5 kilometres on land. It is also 71 centimetres in diameter. It connects the facility to the Campos Elíseos reception station, where the interconnection with the integrated network of transportation pipelines takes place.

Excelerate CCO Daniel Bustos said: “This milestone is significant in that it demonstrates the capabilities of our FSRUs as a viable LNG importation solution that can grow with the changing needs of the market. We commend our crew for the safe and successful completion of this unprecedented test”.

The FSRU Experience is working for Petrobras under a 15-year vessel charter. The 173,400 cubic-metre FSRU began work in 2014. With the Experience, the Guanabara Bay LNG import terminal was upgraded to a sendout capability of 22.5 million cubic meters per day.

To this day, the FSRU Experience continues to guarantee the supply of 50 per cent of Brazil’s LNG regasification capacity and primarily serves the thermal power plants in the region.