National Grid has announced the start of commercial operations of its second capacity expansion, delivered on time and to budget, at the company’s Isle of Grain LNG importation facility. Following the arrival of the first commissioning cargo of LNG on 29 October, the commissioning process has been completed in just over a month, delivering a 50% increase in terminal capacity for the start of winter. The expansion provides capacity for new customers E.ON Ruhrgas and Iberdrola, together with additional capacity for existing customer Centrica. It marks the successful conclusion of a significant period of construction and commissioning with an overall investment by National Grid of more than £800m and giving Grain LNG the capacity to supply around 20% of UK demand.
National Grid is progressing discussions on a further phase of expansion at the terminal with a number of interested parties through an open season process. Timescales and capacity will depend on final market interest, but additional capacity could be available from winter 2015/16.