What's the real cost of LNG (From Western Telegraph)

What's the real cost of LNG

Dear Editor, - The comments attributed to me in your article last week on the proposed LNG power station at Pembroke require some clarification.

It has been estimated that the amount of heat wasted from the power station, operating at 56% thermal efficiency, would be equivalent to the average output of the Wylfa nuclear power station.

Combined with the energy used to liquefy, transport and re-vaporise the LNG en route to the power station, it means that almost 60% of the original energy content of the gas would be lost in the process of making electricity.

This inefficiency and waste results in an unacceptable emission of the greenhouse gases that are causing climate change.

Significant improvements in efficiency, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, could be gained by generating electricity in combined heat and power (CHP) systems where the waste heat could be used by neighbouring oil refineries or for re-vaporising the imported LNG.

These smaller units would also be likely to create more jobs than a large power station.

The claim in your report last week that the power station would provide hundreds of jobs appears to be an optimistic assessment.

According to the power company's own documents, the power station would provide 70 to 80 permanent operational staff but that up to 50 to 60 of these would relocate to Pembrokeshire from elsewhere.

Gordon James Brynheulog, Llanfallteg.