Endesa receives the 4 storage tanks for its LNG supply project at the Los Barrios port terminal

Endesa continues with the installation work of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply plant at the Los Barrios port terminal , as part of its energy transition and decarbonisation strategy to reduce emissions into the atmosphere. With this project, which contemplates an investment of almost 35 million euros in its initial phase, Endesa will be the first company to offer LNG refueling services to the more than 120,000 ships that sail through the Strait of Gibraltar each year. 40,000 that stop at the Port of Algeciras, one of the main bunkering ports in the world.

The 4 tanks that will offer a storage capacity of around 4,080 cubic meters and a maximum volume of energy managed per year at the facility of 1,100 GWh/year have already been unloaded. These containers have been manufactured in Avilés, by the Idesa company, and transported on the Amoenitas ship to the Los Barrios port terminal.

The first phase of the project, designed and executed in collaboration with Técnicas Reunidas , also involves the refurbishment of the port terminal and the installation of the network of pipes to connect the tanks, which will enable the creation of up to 125 jobs, and whose commissioning is expected during the first half of 2023.

The president and the general director of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras, Gerardo Landaluce and José Luis Hormaechea , respectively; the Director of Fuels, Logistics and Circular Management of Endesa, Javier Pérez Maroto , and the person in charge of the Los Barrios Port Terminal of Endesa, Joaquín Rodríguez Toboso ; accompanied by the director of Técnicas Reunidas, as well as the project director of the company and the project director of the company, Joaquín de Hita, Manuel Santos and Emilio Villarroya , respectively; and the president and CEO of Idesa, Jesús Alonso Villarón , and the general director, Julio Martín Ramos, have visited the tank unloading works, as well as the rest of the facilities where the LNG supply plant is being developed.

During the event, the attendees were able to check the degree of progress of the work that will enable the use of liquefied natural gas as an alternative fuel for marine use to liquid fossil fuels, within the decarbonization processes of maritime transport, which will position the Port of Algeciras as the first to offer these services in the Mediterranean environment, thus enabling a differential offer aligned with the energy transition.

In this sense, Javier Pérez Maroto, Director of Fuels, Logistics and Circular Management at Endesa , highlighted that Endesa is firmly committed to reducing emissions as part of its energy transition strategy, “that is why we are taking another step forward on our path of decarbonisation to be the first to offer maritime transport a more sustainable fuel alternative, such as LNG, in one of the busiest environments in the Mediterranean”.

For his part, the president of the Port Authority of Algeciras, Gerardo Landaluce , stated that “the project undertaken by Endesa is a very relevant step in the Andalusian maritime-port sector’s commitment to being more sustainable, with the Port of Algeciras as an example of an advanced model in the use of transition fuels such as LNG, for which its clients and reference shipping companies such as CMA-CGM or Balearia are already betting”. In this way, he added, “the Port of Algeciras and its Port Community will continue to be at the forefront of fuel supply in Southern Europe and the Strait and promoting the necessary energy transition in the sector”.

In this regard, the director of Técnicas Reunidas, Joaquín de Hita , underlined that “for our company, this is an emblematic project, because it entails supporting one of our main clients in its initiative to equip the Los Barrios port terminal with its first LNG supply plant, relying fundamentally on national technology and suppliers”.

This Endesa LNG supply project is likely to be able to grow in subsequent phases depending on the increase in demand. For this, the Los Barrios port terminal has sufficient space, 188,369 m2 of surface area, of which 47,105.50 m2 are facing the water, and has 2 additional docks that would allow growth to 10,000 m3 of storage during the current decade. 

LNG supply

The entry into force of the new maritime transport regulations in 2020 has meant a change in the environmental paradigm in relation to fuel consumption.

The new framework sets the reduction in the percentage of sulfur in fuel oil for maritime transport at 0.5%, so that LNG propulsion of ships becomes the best alternative for shipowners from an environmental point of view, compared to other fuels such as fuel oil or gas oil, which were mostly used.

By 2030, greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport must be reduced by 30% and by 2050 the cut must reach 50%, which forces the search for less polluting fuels.

Currently, LNG is the fuel that allows the greatest reduction of Greenhouse Gases and the almost total elimination of pollution at the local level. In addition, it is foreseeable that environmental restrictions will continue to increase in the coming decades, which is why the supply of LNG is a growth activity.

About Endesa

Endesa is the leading electricity company in Spain and the second in Portugal. It is also the second gas operator in the Spanish market. It develops an integrated business of generation, distribution and marketing, and also offers, through  Endesa X , value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. In addition, the new Endesa X Way business line has been created, dedicated entirely to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the  United Nations SDGs  and, as such, decisively promotes the development of renewable energies through  Enel Green Power Spain, the digitization of networks through e-distribution, and Corporate Social Responsibility. In this last area we also act from the Endesa Foundation. Our human team totals around 9,260 employees. Endesa is part of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.

About Técnicas Reunidas

Técnicas Reunidas is a Spanish engineering company, a leader in its sector on an international scale, with a presence in 25 countries and a track record that adds up to the construction of more than 1,000 industrial plants throughout its more than 60 years of experience.

The activity of Técnicas Reunidas is mainly focused on the development of engineering projects, design and construction of industrial plants for the production of clean fuels, natural gas and chemical products, and solutions linked to the energy transition, the circular economy and decarbonization ( renewable hydrogen, biofuels, waste recovery, CO2 sequestration and capture, etc.).

Its more than 6,800 employees, most of them highly qualified engineers, make its headquarters in Spain a center of engineering excellence.

In the development of this project, Técnicas Reunidas has had the participation of its subsidiary Heymo Ingeniería, whose intervention includes the complete design of the infrastructure, as well as the specification, supply and assembly of all the equipment and materials, the construction and, subsequently, , commissioning and commissioning of the installation.

About the Port of Algeciras

The Port of Algeciras , located on the Spanish coast of the Strait of Gibraltar in the sheltered waters of the Bay of Algeciras, is the national dock with the highest volume of activity, exceeding this 2022 for the 7th consecutive year the 100 million tons of Total Traffic . The Port of Algeciras is also the most efficient in Europe, according to the World Bank and the consulting firm S&P Global in their report “The Container Port Performance Index 2021: A Comparable Assessment of Container Port Performance”.