DDL commissions Guyana’s 1st Liquefied Natural Gas terminal

As part of its drive to employ clean energy sources for power generation, the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) recently commissioned Guyana’s first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) re-gasification terminal.

The company is now using LNG to power its operations at its Diamond, East Bank Demerara operations.
LNG is natural gas that has been chilled to minus 160 Celsius turning it into a liquid and making it safe to load and transport in specially designed containers. When warmed back to atmospheric temperature at DDL’s regasification terminal, the LNG becomes natural gas and is used to power electric generators and boilers.
Natural gas, when used for power generation, emits significantly less carbon dioxide (CO2), fewer sulphur and nitrogen oxides, and almost zero particulate matter, making it the cleanest of all fossil fuels.
Working with its Trinidad-based LNG fuel supplier, ICON LNG Trinidad Limited, DDL converted a pair of its diesel generators to dual fuel, powering them on a mixture of natural gas and diesel, thus helping it become one of Guyana’s cleanest power-producing companies.
“We are very excited to be the first Guyanese company to use LNG for our power generation needs,” said DDL Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Vasudeo Singh.
“As part of our efforts to diversify our fuel supply to cleaner alternatives, we studied the options and concluded that LNG or natural gas is a safe and proven fuel globally as well as here in the Caribbean region where it is being used extensively in Jamaica, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic in operations similar to ours. We are also pleased to partner with ICON LNG who provided us a turnkey equipment and supply solution for regular LNG deliveries,” Singh noted.
ICON LNG Trinidad Limited is dedicated to delivering liquefied natural gas to where it is needed throughout the Southern Caribbean. With support from its LNG suppliers and technology partners, the Trinidadian company offers turnkey solutions that enable companies to upgrade their electricity generating equipment or process heating equipment to dual fuel and receive LNG deliveries to their doorstep on a reliable and timely basis.
In order to support the LNG operations, DDL recently held a full-day training seminar for a number of its employees covering LNG awareness and safe handling procedures.
The training course was conducted by experienced health and safety instructor, Mark Superville, of Safety Pass Alliance Trinidad and Tobago (SPATT) Limited.
The course covered a range of critical topics including the properties of LNG, LNG tank design, loading and unloading procedures, required personal protective equipment and spill response procedures.
Also included in the training was a hands-on curriculum at DDL’s regasification terminal where attendees became familiar with the operational controls of the LNG tanks as well as the proper procedures for connecting and disconnecting the tanks to the regasification terminal.
Port personnel and truck operators from John Fernandes Ltd also attended the training seminar.