£40m LPG project at West site kicks off

THE UK’s largest storage terminal for LPG is to be created at Avonmouth, near Bristol.

Flogas Britain, which supplies liquefied petroleum gas, has started work on a £40m project to convert a National Grid facility for liquefied natural gas.

The LPG terminal will be able to store 34,564 tonnes of LPG.

Work has now started on detailed design, with physical works expected to start on site in early 2021, and full takeover planned for summer 2022, Flogas Britain said.

By winter 2022, the site will be operationally ready.

The new building is being designed to improve the UK’s gas infrastructure and provide more security of supply to commercial and residential customers.

It is hoped it will support the Governments’ Clean Growth Strategy, transitioning the UK’s off-grid businesses and homes from high carbon fossil fuels to a low carbon alternative.

Lee Gannon, Flogas Britain’s managing director, said “The conversion of Avonmouth marks the largest single investment for Flogas Britain and symbolises our growth ambitions and aspirations. It will create an unparalleled, dependable nationwide supply of LPG, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to security of LPG supply and to the Clean Growth Strategy, highlighting the vital role LPG plays in securing a lower carbon future.”

Paul Horton, Flogas Britain’s chief operating officer, added “This is an essential part of our strategic plan as it not only guarantees a secure source of product, but also provides resilience for our core customer base, and future-proofs supply with the ability to store bioLPG.

“We are incredibly proud to be embarking on this journey with our partner TGE Gas Engineering and investing in the UK economy.”

LPG is a blanket term for two types of natural gas (propane and butane) and is a natural by-product of gas and oil extraction (66 per cent) and oil refining (34 per cent), says

Flogas.

It is an efficient source of energy that would otherwise go to waste if not captured and has become a vital part of the UK’s off-grid energy mix.

LPG is a versatile fuel and can be used practically anywhere.

It is used across a vast array of commercial industries from caravan parks, hospitality and agriculture through to the likes of industrial heating and manufacturing processes, including steam generation.

It is also used as an efficient forklift truck fuel or to run greener fleet vehicles.