DDL being powered by liquid natural gas
The operations of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) at Plantation Diamond are now being powered by Liquid Natural Gas (LNG).
A release yesterday from DDL said that as part of its drive to employ clean energy sources for its power generation, the company recently commissioned what was described as the country’s first LNG regasification terminal at Plantation Diamond and is now using LNG to power its operations.
“We are very excited to be the first Guyanese company to use LNG for our power generation needs,” said DDL’s Chief Financial Officer, Vasudeo Singh.
“As part of our efforts to diversify our fuel supply to cleaner alternatives we studied the options and concluded that LNG or natural gas is a safe and proven fuel globally as well as here in the Caribbean region where it is being used extensively in Jamaica, Barbados and the Dominican Republic in operations similar to ours. We are also pleased to partner with ICON LNG who provided us a turnkey equipment and supply solution for regular LNG deliveries”, he added.
The release noted that LNG is natural gas that has been chilled to minus 160 Celsius turning into a liquid and making it safe to load and transport in specially designed containers. When returned to atmospheric temperature at DDL’s regasification terminal, the LNG becomes natural gas and is used to power electric generators and boilers.
DDL said that when used for power generation, the natural gas releases significantly less carbon dioxide (CO2), fewer sulphur and nitrogen oxides, and almost zero particulate matter, making it the cleanest of all fossil fuels.
Working with its Trinidad based LNG fuel supplier, ICON LNG Trinidad Limited, DDL said that it converted a pair of its diesel generators to dual fuel, which are powered on a mixture of natural gas and diesel, thus helping it become one of Guyana’s cleanest power producing companies.
To support the LNG operations, the release said that DDL also recently held a full day training seminar for a number of its employees on LNG awareness and safe handling procedures. The training course was conducted by health and safety instructor, Mark Superville, of Safety Pass Alliance Trinidad and Tobago (SPATT) Limited.
The course covered a range of topics including the properties of LNG, LNG tank design, loading and unloading procedures, required personal protective equipment and spill response procedures. Also encompassed in the training was the DDL’s regasification terminal where attendees became familiar with the operational controls of the LNG tanks as well as the proper procedures for connecting and disconnecting the tanks to the regasification terminal. Port personnel and truck operators from John Fernandes Ltd also attended the training.