The PetroChina Jiangsu LNG Terminal operates six LNG tanks with a total LNG storage capacity of 1.08 million cubic meters. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The Marshall Islands-flagged LNG tanker AL DAFNA from Qatar recently berthed at the PetroChina Jiangsu LNG Terminal for the fifth time, carrying 270,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas, which will be gasified into 170 million cu m of natural gas.

Its arrival at the facility – located on the man-made Yangguang Island in Yangkou Port in Rudong county, administered by Nantong city in East China's Jiangsu province – took place on the eve of the National Day holiday, which kicked off on Oct 1.

The terminal received its first LNG tanker in 2011 and its incoming volumes of gas and export volumes have been rising ever since.

According to Li Zhilong, deputy manager of the production and operations center of PetroChina Jiangsu LNG Co Ltd, the terminal has received 56 LNG tankers this year and unloaded nearly 4.95 million metric tons of LNG.

Last year, the total LNG received and unloaded by the terminal exceeded 7 million tons and the total exports volume was 9.6 billion cu m, setting a record.

In 2022, due to the low temperatures at the start of the year and the continuous high temperatures in summer – when electricity for air-conditioning and industrial usage makes up the bulk of China's LNG demand – handling at the terminal remained at a high level.

As a result, the average monthly volume of exports in July and August topped 800 million cu m – which approximates the level of demand during the winter supply period.

In the next month or so, the terminal will organize for staff to carry out inspections and maintenance of key equipment. At the same time, the facilities' operators will make sure that its tank inventory will be increased to over 80 percent before the country enters winter.