Musel Energy Hub, the LNG plant in Gijón owned by Enagás (75%) and Reganosa (25%), is launching a service to supply BioLNG for the loading of this decarbonised fuel onto ships and tankers.

The service, with which the company will further its aim to contribute to the European decarbonisation goals, uses the interconnected infrastructure so that the biomethane injected into the gas network can be recognised as BioLNG (liquid biofuel obtained by processing domestic and industrial organic waste) and supplied via the terminal.

Antonio Manzano, the Managing Director of Musel Energy Hub, highlighted that “today we’ve reached a new milestone in the development of the Gijón terminal as a multi-molecule plant, a clear step forward in our undertaking to contribute to the fulfilment of the decarbonisation goals while enhancing the competitiveness of this key infrastructure for the security of the energy supply in Spain and Europe”.

Nieves Roqueñí, the President of the Port Authority of Gijón, declared that “preparing the regasification plant to supply ships with BioLNG will allow shipping companies operating with dual and adapted engines to refuel in Gijón, thus contributing to the strategic goal of reducing our carbon footprint. Having a multi-energy platform to supply European ports and maritime routes and an excellent location in the centre of northern Spain with direct access to the Atlantic provides us with an excellent opportunity to move towards climate neutrality”.

The new service, available as of tomorrow, 5 November, meets all the environmental, social and traceability criteria set forth in the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification of the European Union (ISCC EU) and the European Commission.

Exponential growth of bunkering in Spain

Bunkering (supplying fuel to ships) has undergone exponential growth in recent years in Spain, multiplying its activity more than tenfold between 2022 and the current date. Between January and September this year, 4.6 TWh were supplied at the terminals operated by Enagás and Reganosa in Spain, of which 4.1 TWh were loaded onto small ships (Ship to Ship, STS) and 0.5 TWh were loaded by means of tankers (Truck to Ship, TTS).

Musel Energy Hub’s new bioLNG service will help to consolidate this growth and lead to further progress in sustainability and innovation, facilitating a cleaner and more efficient future.

Progress towards the decarbonisation of maritime transport

For Enagás and Reganosa, this milestone comes in the wake of over ten years’ work, during which they have promoted several projects to decarbonise maritime transport and invested in small-scale infrastructure at all their terminals to adapt them to the market. Moreover, the two companies have been actively involved in the development of specific procedures and regulations for ship refuelling systems.