It is yet another ‘green’ achievement for Qatar that the $1bn Jetty Boil-Off Gas Recovery (JBOG) Project in Ras Laffan, inaugurated recently by HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani is one of the “biggest environmental projects in the world.”
As rightly pointed out by RasGas CEO Hamad Rashid al-Mohannadi, the JBOG project is another milestone in a long history of the company’s commitment to various green-house gas reduction projects, which includes carbon capture initiatives and other flare minimisation programmes.
The JBOG facility will recover the gas flared during Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) loading at the six LNG berths in Ras Laffan Port, thereby salvaging gas normally lost and burnt off in a flare when the fuel is transported onto ships.
Officials say it will result in a 90% reduction in flaring at the Ras Laffan port in northern Qatar, the largest LNG export terminal in the world. Instead of the wasted gas being burnt off, JBOG collects the fuel and transports it to an area where it is compressed to be ready for use again either as LNG or fuel gas.
LNG is gas cooled to -160 degrees Celsius until it turns into a liquid and can be transported by boat. The JBOG project would capture enough gas to power 175,000 cars per year or 300,000 homes, it is estimated.
It also allows Qatar, the largest producer of LNG in the world, to recover a further 29mn cubic feet of gas per year. Officials said it would save the equivalent of 1.6mn tonnes of CO2 each year.
The JBOG facility forms part of the Common Facilities Projects at Ras Laffan, and is led and operated by Qatargas on behalf of Qatar Petroleum (QP) and RasGas. As of April 2015, Qatargas has recovered jetty boil-off gas from 500 ships since the JBOG facilities started in October 2014.
Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, president and CEO of QP, as well as chairman of Qatargas, has reiterated that protecting the environment has always been the holistic commitment of Qatar Petroleum and its joint ventures. This commitment is embodied in a number of initiatives, as the project is the largest and most comprehensive in terms of protecting the environment and exploiting the natural resources of the state.
“The JBOG project demonstrates the commitment of Qatar to balance industrial development with care for the environment, and reinforces our pioneering and leadership role in the energy industry,” al-Kaabi emphasised.
Qatargas CEO Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa al-Thani described JBOG as “a landmark project” for Qatar. He stated that Qatargas is committed to being a key contributor in the realisation of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and have a proactive and significant international role in assessing the impact of climate change through the responsible production of LNG, while protecting the environment for future generations.


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