US-listed Excelerate Energy is buying a reliquefaction system to install on one of its existing floating storage and regasification units.
The company said it had entered into an agreement with Wartsila Gas Solutions to buy the kit for retrofit onto one of its FSRUs.
“The equipment will be available to be installed on any of Excelerate’s existing vessels based on customer demand or for prospective LNG projects,” Excelerate said.
It said this retrofit project will “improve the environmental footprint” of its FSRU operations by reliquefying boil-off gas and returning it back to the cargo tanks reducing emissions and saving cargo.
The company said the system is fitted with technology and features to minimise maintenance and operational costs.
The Wartsila reliquefaction system is due for delivery in early 2026.
Excelerate chief operating officer David Liner said: “We are committed to reducing the environmental footprint in all our operations, and this project is a substantial part of that commitment.”
Earlier this week Excelerate published its 2023 sustainability report entitled Waves of Change: Embarking on a Sustainable Future.
The report detailed that the company’s Scope 1 emissions rose last year to 596,397 tonnes of CO2 equivalent compared to 567,125 mt CO2e in 2022. But the figure is down on the 632,413 mt CO2e logged in 2021.
Excelerate said the 5.2% rise was due to increased customer demand, since FSRU emissions are directly related to the quantity of gas supplied.
The company said it is upgrading onboard technology including the addition of a new catalytic unit aboard the 138,000-cbm Excelsior (built 2005) which needs to meet stringent environmental requirements in Germany.
Excelerate said it is adding equipment on its 170,000-cbm FSRU newbuilding, Hull No 3407. The company detailed that this vessel is being designed “reliquefaction ready” for projects with low natural gas send-out profiles to enable what it described as “a dramatic reduction” in emissions.
It is also adding new environmental monitoring equipment on the 150,900-cbm FSRU Express (built 2009).
Excelerate operates a fleet of 10 in-service FSRUs and has one regas vessel on order for delivery in 2026. Some of the vessels now rank as smaller and less efficient than their more modern 170,000-cbm cousins.
