2022-06-28
(Press release)
ICON LNG GUYANA INC., a local fuel distribution company operating throughout the Caribbean Region, on Tuesday imported its 150th container of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

LNG is a reliable and environmentally friendly fuel that replaces coal, heavy fuel oil, and diesel as a low carbon, safe and reliable source of energy for global demand.

ICON LNG has been providing natural gas to Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) since 2019, to be used for power generation. Since that time the company has avoided emitting air pollution equal to 2,231 tons of Co2, 22,290 kilogrammes of Sulfur dioxide, and 2,041 kilogrammes of particulate matter.

According to the company, DDL is the first Guyanese company to recognize the benefits of LNG as a fuel for electricity production and uses it to run dual fuel gas/diesel generators that support its distillery operations in Great Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

Recently, DDL expanded its use of LNG in process heating with the new manufacturing facility of its Tropical Orchard Products Company (TOPCO) subsidiary. The LNG will fuel a boiler used by TOPCO in the pasteurization process of the company’s products, including fruit juices and milk.

Speaking about the safe transport of the gas, the company noted that the LNG arrives at DDL in standard 40’ multi-modal ISO containers that keep it chilled to minus 160 degrees Celsius. The LNG containers are connected to a regasification terminal where atmospheric temperatures warm the LNG, allowing it to naturally change back into natural gas. The natural gas is piped directly into DDL’s manufacturing facilities.

ICON LNG offers full turn-key solutions for companies seeking to use LNG for power-generation or their process heating requirements. The firm designs and installs custom dual-fuel engine systems, LNG regasification systems, and small-scale LNG liquefaction equipment.

Noting its bright future with the local oil and gas sector, ICON LNG disclosed that it sees further opportunities in Guyana for using LNG as global demand for energy pushes oil prices to record price levels.

“With the planned gas-to-shore pipeline intended to supply natural gas to a new 300-megawatt power plant, we have proposed to and are discussing with the government apportioning a small amount of the natural gas for Guyana’s first small-scale domestic liquefier,” explains Delmar Walcott, ICON’s Country Manager.

He noted that the liquefier would supply LNG to the transportation sector where it could be substituted in place of highly expensive imported gasoline.

“According to the Guyana Energy Agency, over two-thirds of Guyana’s petroleum imports go to the transportation sector for fuel. As other countries in the Caribbean Region have successfully shown, natural gas can be used to run a typical internal combustion engine with only slight modifications.” Walcott stated.

He opined that switching to Guyana’s natural gas would surely reduce prices at the pump, adding that the government can significantly reduce its petroleum import bill while also lowering costs for thousands of Guyanese drivers.