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Conference on Small Scale LNG-Fuelling the future

Introduction

LNG

India being the seventh largest country by area on global map has seen remarkable developments in recent times with commendable economic growth, now nearing $ 2.1 trillion which has nearly doubled in the past decade. This growth has been accompanied by a phenomenal rise in the volume of freight traffic movement over the period. The existing set-up for long voyage transport in the country at present leaves a lot to be desired. It calls for development of logistics infrastructure and services in the country at the same pace to support and supplement this growth. As the Indian economy is set to develop on a healthy growth path, this would increase energy consumption in the country. This increase in energy demand, if met only with present arrangement of traditional fuels, will not only have fiscal impact but, it also raises serious environmental concerns. As nation's deteriorating air quality has significant contributions from transportation sector, clean environment initiatives by the Govt. of India have been reinforced by Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG) and Ministry of Road Transport & Highway (MoRTH) with introduction of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as automotive fuel. This is understood as prime advancement towards empowering nation with a better tomorrow which will certainly contribute towards reduction in carbon emissions and also generate savings on fuel in the country. This initiative provides for reforms in the industry along with immense opportunities for transportation sector, especially road, rail, marine and aviation. Small-scale LNG is altogether the LNG transportation from liquefaction terminal to regasification terminals through tankers, ship, and trucks. The need for small-scale LNG arises from increasing demand for LNG, increasing number for lesser capacity liquefaction terminals, and simpler storage facilities. These terminals have maximum capacity of 0.5 MMTPA. For instance, in Singapore the small-scale LNG terminal has capacity of only 11 MTPA. By the end of 2017, China had 4 small-scale LNG terminals, which can meet the demand of natural gas for small-scale projects. The advantage of small-scale LNG are adjustable annual delivery contracts, and minimum counterparty risks.

Global small-scale LNG market has been segmented on the basis of mode of supply, type, application, and region. Based on type, the market is further segmented into liquefaction and regasification terminals. Liquefaction terminal segments holds larger market share due to increasing natural gas storage infrastructure. On the basis of mode of supply, global small-scale LNG market is classified as Trucks, Trans-shipment and Bunkering, Captive Consumption through Pipeline & Rail. The trans-shipment and Bunkering market is prominent in the market due to booming shipping industry. Based on applications, the market is segmented as utilities, residential, industrial & commercial, marine, and transportation. Small-scale LNG market is expected to have huge number of advancements over the forecast period owing to Liquefaction providers offering plug-and-play concepts with a reduced price tag, operating cost, and deployment time. The market is also expected to have high expansion activities by multinationals and well-established companies.