Supply chain company Crowley recently inaugurated a state-of-the-art, liquid natural gas (LNG) loading terminal in Puerto Rico.
Located in the southern town of Peñuelas, the LNG facility will serve industrial and commercial operators in Puerto Rico, Central America, and the Caribbean, the company said, while calling the development a “major milestone” that supports the island’s economy with “full-service, sustainable” energy solutions.
The inaugural event was hosted by Crowley chairman and CEO Tom Crowley and featured remarks from Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, and Jenniffer González-Colon, Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner in Washington D.C.
“We continue to expand our capacity and investment in Puerto Rico with the opening of this special facility, which enhances Crowley’s LNG capabilities across diverse industries,” Tom Crowley said. “Our LNG solutions allow industrial and commercial clients to plan, monitor, and produce their own energy while protecting their businesses from potential threats, such as power outages or natural disasters.”
Crowley says it has worked to build “strong, transparent relationships” with government and business leaders in Puerto Rico over the last several years, allowing it to play a key role in supplying the island with “cost-efficient, sustainable” fuel sources.
“As Puerto Rico moves forward on its quest to transform its dated and fragile electric generation system into a first-class energy network, the use of alternative and transitional fuels like LNG will be critically important in helping build resiliency and reliability into the system,” Pierluisi said. “Crowley’s new LNG loading terminal in Peñuelas will foster much-needed new economic activity for municipalities in the island, and it will also position Puerto Rico’s industrial and commercial sector on a fast-track path toward economic growth by providing reliable and environmentally friendlier energy solutions.
“My administration is pleased to join in (this) milestone celebration, which further solidifies Crowley’s long history of serving the Puerto Rico market.”
The facility will significantly grow Crowley’s service capabilities in Puerto Rico, delivering more than 94 million gallons of LNG annually, the company said. When operating at full distribution capacity, it will help power an aggregate of 120MW in cleaner energy, while helping to reduce carbon dioxide and sulfur emissions.
Functionally, from Peñuelas, operators will load natural gas in its liquid form onto 10,000-gallon ISO containers for over-the-road transport to customer facilities around the island, Crowley said. Upon arrival at the customer’s site, the LNG will be re-gasified and used for power generation and energy consumption.
“The inauguration of Crowley’s new LNG loading terminal marks an important step toward the diversification of Puerto Rico’s energy industry, allowing us to maximize the use of alternative fuels like LNG to usher the island into a new era of cleaner energy,” Gonzalez said. “The investment in these state-of-the-art facilities will also afford Puerto Rico the opportunity to play a strategic role in LNG national security efforts while leveraging new LNG technologies and economic development opportunities.”