Enefit has installed the first liquefied natural gas station in Latvia

Enefit, the second largest electricity seller in Latvia, has built the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant required for processing at Līcis-93 in Kolka. Hence the company's plant is well-thought-out in the development and use of more environmentally friendly fuel risks, taking advantage of natural gas without direct connection to the gas pipeline network. The station established in Kolka is Enefit's parent company Eesti Energia's first liquefied natural gas facility in the Baltics, which marks a new direction in the energy company's service portfolio.

LNG is an environmentally friendly and easy to use energy resource, that provides noticeably better energy efficiency performance than fuel oil, diesel or propane gas. In addition, it is supplied by road transport, allowing them to freely plan the location of the company's production site without regard to of the proximity to the gas pipeline. Depending of the production intensity, with one fill up the LNG station will operate 7 to 10 days. The operation of the station is fully automated, helping to efficiently develop the workload of manufacturers, and the remote station monitoring allows for efficient planning of gas deliveries and maintenance.

“Although liquefied natural gas solutions have been available for several years, in the context of technological development with the diversification of energy sources the Baltics has promoted the growth of this segment in the past few years. LNG is a topical transition towards climate-neutralized energy production. For many the main factor is mobility: installing an LNG tank and an evaporator system, more energy resources become available beyond the natural gas supply network. In addition to the fact that the energy value of LNG is higher and the price is lower, compared to other alternatives,” explains Krists Mertens, Enefit board member.

The LNG station was set up in a year and the investment – a few 100 thousand euros – is split by the company and energy provider. The main investment is the construction of plant infrastructure - gas storage tanks and evaporation - regulation system. LNG systems are used for long, so a long-term cooperation agreement is signed, where a company chooses the best fitting price determination type according to its specification – fixed or market price, attaching it to the changes in the gas market spot prices.

"One of the main beneficiaries of the installed liquefied natural gas plant is our readiness to meet the most stringent environmental requirements for national and global distribution, which, when applied, allows to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions of 660 tonnes. But no less important are factors which are important for every entrepreneur: cheaper and more efficient resource with automatic maintenance,’’ says Gunārs Kristiņš, Līcis-93 chief mechanic.

The further development of LNG infrastructure is also a priority set by the European Union, as it offers an opportunity to achieve an industrial environment with a lesser effect on the environment, as well as to promote energy independence. Hence it is predictable that the demand for liquified gas will increase, as it also provides added value to the business and more easily simplifies compliance with energy efficiency and emission control requirements.