Construction of LNG tank group with world's largest single-tank capacity completed in Guangdong

A group of liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tanks, boasting the world's largest single-tank capacity, was completed in Zhuhai City, south China’s Guangdong Province, on Friday, significantly boosting the region's ability to ensure stable natural gas supply in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

After 37 months of construction, the five LNG storage tanks, towering as tall as five 20-story buildings and each spanning nearly 100 meters in diameter, have been finished. With a capacity of storing up to 270,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas each, the storage tanks will undergo a debugging phase before being put into use.

The five tanks represent the second phase of the Jinwan "Green Energy Port" project developed by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). The project’s first phase came into service in 2013 and consists of three LNG storage tanks, each with a storage capacity of 160,000 cubic meters.

With a combined storage capacity of 1.83 million cubic meters, the Jinwan "Green Energy Port" project is emerging as the largest natural gas storage and transportation hub in southern China, greatly enhancing the region's ability to ensure a stable natural gas supply in the Greater Bay Area.

"Once the project is fully operational, it will work alongside offshore gas fields like Liwan 3-1, Huizhou 21-1, and Panyu 30-1 to supply gas to cities including Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhuhai, Zhongshan and Jiangmen, ensuring energy security for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and south China," said Shen Bairen, project manager of the second phase.

The completion of the second phase of the project will increase the annual LNG processing capacity of the Jinwan "Green Energy Port" to 7 million tons, equivalent to 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas. This capacity can meet the annual domestic gas needs of 30 million households and generate 50 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Construction of LNG tank group with world's largest single-tank capacity completed in Guangdong

Smoke from wildfires shrouding over many parts of Mato Grosso, the most severely impacted state by wildfires in Brazil, has caused discomfort among local residents as it persists due to prolonged heatwave.

According to statistics from the National Institute for Space Research, as of Friday, Brazil had recorded over 180,000 wildfires in 2024, with nearly 40,000 of them occurring in Mato Grosso state, ranking it first among all the states in Brazil.

Residents of Cuiaba, the capital of Mato Grosso, said while high temperatures and dry weather were typical in the city in previous years, the prolonged heatwave coupled with smoke this year is highly unusual.

"The smoke is worsening. The situation has been very dire over the past two months. We have not had rain for over 100 days. Low humidity, below 10 percent, is a huge problem, necessitating extensive use of humidifiers for us," said Guilherme Rodrigues Mendes, a resident.

"The weather is quite bad. I feel terrible. I have been sick at least three times. My throat is extremely dry, leading to coughing and feeling nauseous," said Navai, another resident.

According to the local fire department, 1,000 firefighters are battling fires across multiple locations in Mato Grosso. The state encompasses three vital biomes -- the Amazon rainforest, the Cerrado savannah, and the Pantanal wetlands. Currently, the fires in the Pantanal wetlands are largely contained, yet numerous active fire points persist in the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado savannah.

Wildfire smoke in Brazil's Mato Grosso state causes discomfort among locals