The Italian Gas and Heat, specialized in the construction of cryogenic tanks, has announced the shipment in Sardinia of the first three containers to the Higas coastal deposit of 9,000 cubic meters of LNG, under construction in the port of Santa Giusta (Oristano).
The three tanks, with a capacity of 1,800 m3 each, represent half of the storage capacity, the remaining 3 will be sent to destination by 2019. The project, to which Gas and Heat has been working since 2015, has thus entered its final phase and it is confirmed that it will start operations by August 2020, as announced during the fifth International Conference by ConferenzaGNL held last May in Naples.
The Higas depot will be the first LNG coastal supply point in Italy and the Mediterranean (a second is under construction in Ravenna) and will allow the start of the methanisation of Sardinia, the only Italian region that actually does not have this energy source.
Unlike the deposits connected to the large LNG regasifiers, the Higas plant has been specifically designed and will be able to supply liquid methane for heavy maritime and land transport as well as compressed for cars, industries and city gas distribution networks.
For the success of the initiative and the respect of the times, Gas and Heat underlines the importance of the location of its construction site in the Navicelli Canal (waterway from Pisa to the Tyrrhenian Sea) which allows the handling of large artifacts on barges towards the Port of Livorno. The ship used for transport to Sardinia is a Heavy Lift specialized in these types of transport (the company delivers large tanks all over the world).
The company's commitment to the Higas depot has required the recruitment and stabilization of over 25 people, including young engineers and skilled workers, to reach about 100 units with related companies.
Source: press release Gas and Heat