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The Mediterranean's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering facility could be completed within 18-24 months, according to the management of HIGAS - a collaboration between Italian firms CPL Concordia and Gas and Heat which was formed in 2014 and plans to build the facility in an underutilized industrial zone in the port of Oristano, Sardinia.

The joint project proposes a coastal facility with a capacity of 9,000 cubic metres (cbm) for the storage and transfer of methane-based gas products for industrial and commercial usage.

The facility would include six cryogenic horizontal storage tanks operating at low pressure, which would be serviced by small sea-going gas carriers capable of carrying 5,000-7,000 cbm of gas.

It is hoped that the facility will be the catalyst for the development of further projects in the underdeveloped industrial zone, thus providing further economic benefits to the island.

HIGAS recently completed the basic engineering and project definition for the LNG facility, and in April of this year presented the proposed development to the local authorities for approval to proceed.

Robert Madella, the president of HIGAS, and its managing director, Claudio Evangelisti, are said to be optimistic regarding approvals, and are quoted as saying: "Considering the time necessary for the appropriate regional authority studies, it is possible that in 18-24 months we can have in operation Sardinia's first costal LNG bunkering facility."

Image: Proposed HIGAS LNG bunkering project in Oristano, Sardinia.