Connie Mellin
Natural Gas NOW
“PAShaleAdvocate”
The UGI Bethlehem liquified natural gas facility is now online and ready to supply LNG to meet demands of power plants during peak times.
UGI Energy Services, LLC held a ribbon cutting today to celebrate their new LNG facility coming online. The Bethlehem LNG Facility will be a great asset to everyone it serves, especially during peak power demands. This facility will store LNG that can be utilized to increase power output to meet demand spikes in electricity. This facility will also have the ability to load or unload LNG to or from tanker trucks.
Below is the full UGI Energy Services Press release:
November 9, 2020, Bethlehem, PA — UGI Energy Services, LLC, a subsidiary of UGI Corporation, today celebrated the commissioning of its new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the site in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The new Bethlehem storage and vaporization LNG facility joins the company’s expanding network of LNG and peakshaving assets.
“UGI is excited to bring our new Bethlehem LNG facility online in advance of this coming winter,” said John L. Walsh, President and Chief Executive Officer of UGI Corporation. “We see rising demand for peaking services as local distribution companies and end users respond to regional supply constraints resulting from pipeline construction delays. This new $60 million facility will help meet that demand and keep natural gas costs affordable for families and businesses.”
The new Bethlehem facility adds two million gallons of LNG storage to UGI’s LNG network and provides peak shaving services during extremely cold periods in a cost- effective manner. The LNG facility will be used to deliver a supply of gas during peak demand periods to the UGI Utilities’ distribution system in the Lehigh Valley.
“UGI Energy Services is grateful to all those who helped construct our Bethlehem facility on-budget and on-schedule,” said Joe Hartz, President of UGI Energy Services. “It’s interesting that almost three years ago to the day, we were just outside Harrisburg celebrating the opening of our similar Steelton LNG storage and vaporization facility. Now, with the addition of our Bethlehem facility, we’ve further enhanced our supply position to meet the region’s continued demand for natural gas on peak.”
The Bethlehem LNG facility has the capacity to deliver 70,000 dekatherms of vaporized LNG per day. In addition to peak shaving, the facility also is able to load LNG into, or unload LNG from, tanker trucks.
Other featured speakers at today’s event included PA Public Utility Commission Chairman Gladys Brown Dutrieuille, State Senator Lisa Boscola, PA-18, and Appellation Construction Services’ Electrical Division VP Matthew Green.
During today’s event, UGI also highlighted significant stream restoration work the company provided on a tributary of the East Branch of the Saucon Creek that runs north to south through the UGI Bethlehem LNG property. This work mitigated an area prone to flooding.
“As part of our agreement with Lehigh Valley Industrial Park, we were happy to assume responsibility for restoration of the tributary which had been part of the former Bethlehem Steel property,” said Hartz. “The UGI team is committed to not only minimizing the impact of our operations, but also to improving the areas where we live and work whenever possible.”
The demand for LNG is continually growing and the UGI Bethlehem LNG Facility can help homes and businesses meet their power demands and keep utility bills affordable.
Visit ugies.com/liquefied-natural-gas/ to learn more about UGI Energy Services’ LNG experience and capabilities.
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