Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) quality database
17 December 2024
Due to the absence of a public database on LNG quality, MARCOGAZ decided to gather information from its members and share it with the general public through this document.
The scope of work involved collecting LNG composition data from MARCOGAZ members managing LNG terminals, focusing only on cargos arriving from liquefaction terminals and excluding reloading operations between European terminals. The data collected was used to calculate key gas quality parameters by origin, such as average composition, standard deviation, maximum and minimum values, gross calorific value, Wobbe index, relative density, density, and Methane number under ISO reference conditions.
It is acknowledged that LNG composition can change during transportation and storage, meaning the data represents the LNG quality upon arrival in Europe rather than its original state after liquefaction. Variations may also occur depending on where the LNG is unloaded, such as in Greece or the Netherlands. However, the presence of reliquefaction units on modern LNG carriers helps maintaining a stable composition.
Additionally, LNG stored at terminals can mix with LNG from other origins, altering the final gas quality sent to the transmission grid, although it must comply with national natural gas quality regulations. No data on the volume or energy of LNG cargos was collected due to its commercial sensitivity, but further information on LNG origins is available in GIIGNL’s annual reports.
