First virtual biomethane liquefaction completed at Klaipėda LNG terminal

A virtual liquefaction of biomethane was recently completed for the first time at the Klaipėda LNG terminal, operator KN Energies said in a post on its website.

IMAGE: Aerial view of Lithuania's Port of Klaipeda. X of @portofklaipeda1

During the operation, bio-LNG was loaded onto the LNG carrier Coral Energy, chartered by Nordic energy firm Gasum, the buyer in the transaction. Gasum provides LNG and bio-LNG bunkering services across Europe, according to its website.

Norwegian energy company Equinor, the seller, carried out the virtual biomethane liquefaction process at the terminal.

Bio-LNG is liquefied biomethane from the gas grid. Across Europe, biomethane is injected into the gas grid by producers at different locations, where it mixes with natural gas. A mass-balance system tracks how much renewable gas enters the grid and ensures that only an equivalent share is claimed downstream.

At Klaipėda, instead of physically liquefying biomethane produced elsewhere, the renewable share recorded in the gas grid was credited to the LNG loaded by Gasum through book-and-claim certificates, marking the virtual liquefaction step, and allowing the cargo to be sold as bio-LNG even though the biomethane molecules itself were not liquefied on site.

KN Energies launched this virtual liquefaction service at the Klaipėda terminal in July.

By Nachiket Tekawade

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