New gas terminal set to end shortages

THE phrase “gas shortage” is unlikely to be needed again after the opening of Africa’s largest liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) import and storage terminal in Saldanha Bay.

The facility‚ built by Sunrise Energy – a joint venture between Mining‚ Oil‚ and Gas Services (MOGS) and the Industrial Development Corporation – can store 200 000 tons of LPG‚ more than half South Africa’s total annual demand of 350 000 tons.

Western Cape Economic Opportunities MEC Alan Winde said he expected the terminal to put a permanent end to gas shortages throughout the country.

“Since we started having electricity blackouts, a lot of people started to shift their energy mix [to gas]. What Sunrise is doing is hugely welcomed‚” he said.

Winde said increased demand had put tremendous pressure on gas supplies.

The R1.02-billion terminal generated 470 jobs in its construction and has five giant underground tanks‚ called bullets.

They weigh 1 100 tons each and were transported to Saldanha on massive trucks‚ Sunrise Energy commercial manager Arthur Martin said.

There are also three gantry loading facilities for trucks to collect gas for nationwide distribution.

Martin said only phase one‚ out of three approved by the National Energy Regulator‚ had been built so far.

“As the market grows, we can go into phase two and three and improve the gantry loading facility‚” he said.

They would also increase the number of bullets.

The terminal only has 33 permanent staff but Winde said the economic opportunities it created would be far-reaching.

“Once you have an energy system like this it has knock-on effects to jobs through the system,” he said.