What is Gibraltar's LNG power station on the North Mole?
Short answer
It is Gibraltar's main power station, on the North Mole near the cruise terminal, which has generated most of Gibraltar's electricity from liquefied natural gas since 2019. It has six MAN engines with a combined capacity of roughly 80 to 86 MW and is operated by the Gibraltar Electricity Authority.
Detailed answer
Gibraltar's main power station stands on the North Mole, in the port area near the cruise liner terminal. It generates electricity mainly from liquefied natural gas (LNG) and supplies almost all of Gibraltar's power.
Who built it and what is inside
The plant was built by Bouygues Energies & Services, with MAN Energy Solutions supplying and commissioning the engines. The Gibraltar Electricity Authority (Gibelec) operates the station.
- Engines: six MAN 14V51/60 engines of about 14 MW each
- Capacity: roughly 86 MW according to MAN; Government statements describe it as about 80 MW
- Fuel: three engines run on natural gas only and three are dual-fuel units that can also run on diesel
- Diesel: kept for start-up, for running the dual-fuel engines and for emergency or back-up operation
The LNG supply
The first LNG cargo reached Gibraltar in January 2019, and the station first generated power from LNG on Saturday 19 January 2019 during a short commissioning trial. The adjacent LNG terminal opened on Monday 6 May 2019. It has five double-walled stainless-steel tanks, each holding 1,000 cubic metres of LNG, and is run by Gasnor. Shell supplies the LNG under a 2016 agreement with the Government. Waste heat from the engines is used to turn the LNG back into gas.
What it replaced
MAN announced the commissioning of the plant in July 2019, and by September 2019 LNG was providing most of Gibraltar's electricity. The station replaced the old diesel-fired Waterport Power Station, which first produced power in August 1982 and was formally decommissioned in December 2020. Temporary rented generators were also phased out.
Emissions
The Government states that, compared with diesel, burning natural gas brings:
- an almost total absence of particulates
- a 99% reduction in sulphur dioxide
- a 90% reduction in nitrogen oxides
- a 44% reduction in carbon dioxide, which it puts at over 65,000 tonnes of CO2 a year