EL SALVADOR BETS ON LNG-BASED POWER GENERATION
During the recent history of El Salvador, as part of the strategies for National Development, the authorities have focused on making important efforts over strategic megaprojects, with significant impacts to the national economy, being one of them the generation of energy based on liquefied gas (LNG). In this article, the reader will find an outline of what LNG power generation means, as well as some of the implications for national development.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is a natural gas converted into liquid by cooling for its transportation. This type of fossil fuel is considered one of the cleanest and most environmentally friendly fuels. In its natural state it is colorless and odorless, being key to the development of a more sustainable mobility in all forms of transportation, such as land, rail and maritime. It is also widely used for electric power generation and residential, commercial and industrial applications. As a fuel, it reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and eliminates almost 100% of sulfur oxide (SOx) and particulate emissions. It also reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by a good percentage.
Energía del Pacífico Ltda. de C.V. (EDP), is the company responsible for the main energy infrastructure project based on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which is expected to supply 30% of El Salvador's energy demand and is currently under construction at the Port of Acajutla, El Salvador, scheduled to be completed in July 2022. The infrastructure project that will transform the national energy matrix involves approximately $1 billion in foreign direct investment for El Salvador, making it the largest private investment in the country's history.
The main components of the project include:
a) A Floating LNG storage and regasification unit or FSRU.
EDP has the first Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) in Latin America, which will be permanently anchored off the Salvadoran coast. The supercooled (-162 °C / -260 °F) liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be delivered to the FSRU, the unit responsible for converting the natural gas to atmospheric temperature and then sending it to the onshore power plant through a submarine pipeline.
b) 378-Megawatt Thermal Power Plant
This clean and efficient combined cycle power plant will generate electricity from 19 18V50SG natural gas reciprocating engines (each rated at 18.9 MW) and a 28 megawatt steam turbine generator, powered by steam produced from the heat recovered in the exhaust of each engine. The combination of gas and steam generation will achieve efficiencies in excess of 49% LHV (Low Heating Value), making the project one of the most innovative in the region.
c) Transmission Line
The transmission infrastructure consists of a 44-kilometer, 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line that will connect the EDP substation in Acajutla with the ETESAL substation in Ahuachapán, thus reinforcing the country's electrical grid and connecting the plant's output to the Central American Electrical Interconnection System (SIEPAC).
Once the construction of the natural gas plant project is completed, it will make a major contribution to El Salvador's energy infrastructure, supplying cleaner and more efficient electricity, reducing the amount of imported diesel and the generation of energy through HFO (heavy fuel oil), which will result in significant environmental benefits for the country and the region. Finally, it should be noted that this project is the only one of its kind in Latin America, which places the country at the forefront of innovation in energy generation and opens the possibility for other countries to develop initiatives of this type.