A Celsius Shipping vessel carrying 70,000 tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) unloaded at the China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) receiving station in the Gaolan Port Economic Zone on June 12, bringing the city's accumulated reception volume past 10 million tons.

The Zhuhai Receiving Station at the foot of Pingpai Mt on Gaolan Island in Jinwan District is the only onshore gas supply site of CNOOC on the west bank of the Pearl River. The station is considered a clean-energy supply bridgehead to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Since its inception in 2013, the station has received 150 shipments of LNG from a dozen countries and regions including Australia, Indonesia, and Qatar. From there, the fuel was transported to cities in the Greater Bay Area, Hunan Province, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

CNOOC LNG Receiving Station at Gaolan Port [Photo by Zhang Zhou & Chen Rong to Guanhai App]

LNG is the liquid form of natural gas after desulfurization, decarburization, dehydration, and decontamination. Its volume is only one 625th of natural gas of the same amount, making it a safer and more efficient clean energy source.

The 10 million tons that the Zhuhai station received is equivalent to 14 billion cubic meters of natural gas. It can reduce the emission of carbon dioxide by 38 million tons (the same effect as planting 80 million trees), sulfur dioxide by 310,000 tons, nitrogen oxide by 2.75 million tons, and smoke and dust by 175,000 tons.

Re-gasified LNG is a major raw material for green power generation. Jiaming Power Plant of CNOOC in Zhongshan, for instance, is a significant downstream user of the Zhuhai station and can reduce 0.53 g of nitrogen oxide and 530.27 g of carbon dioxide in generating 1 kWh of power. According to a technical staff at Zhuhai station, 70,000 tons of LNG can ensure the natural gas supply of 1 million households for three months.

As of now, the Beijing-headquartered CNOOC has invested over 30 billion yuan ($4.2 billion) in projects at Gaolan Port, including deep-water natural gas and LNG receiving terminals, an electricity plant, and gas transmission pipelines.

In addition, Gaolan Port has Asia's largest onshore natural gas terminal and China's sole clean-energy base that owns both marine gas from the South China Sea and imported LNG. Its provision of gas to North China has alleviated shortage there. In recent years, the port authority has prolonged its industrial chain, fostering industries with distinctive features, and pushing forward high-end development to become a national clean-energy base.