Crowley Inaugurates Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Facility in Peñuelas, Puerto Rico Strategic LNG hub expands sustainable energy for customers in the Caribbean

PEÑUELAS, Puerto Rico, May 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Crowley, the longest-serving U.S. supply chain company with a nearly 70-year history in Puerto Rico, today inaugurated its state-of-the-art LNG Loading Terminal in the southern town of Peñuelas. The liquefied natural gas facility marks a major milestone and supports the island's economy with full-service, sustainable energy solutions to industrial and commercial operators in Puerto Rico, Central America and the Caribbean.

The inaugural event hosted by Crowley Chairman and CEO Tom Crowley featured remarks from Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi, and Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner in Washington D.C., Jenniffer González-Colon.

"We continue to expand our capacity and investment in Puerto Rico with the opening of this special facility, which enhances Crowley's LNG capabilities across diverse industries," said Tom Crowley. "Our LNG solutions allow industrial and commercial clients to plan, monitor and produce their own energy while protecting their business from potential threats such as power outages or natural disasters."

Over the course of several years, Crowley has fostered strong, transparent relationships with government and business leaders of Puerto Rico allowing the company to play a pivotal role in supplying cost-efficient, sustainable fuel sources to the island's leading sectors.

"As Puerto Rico moves forward on its quest to transform its dated and fragile electric generation system into a first-class energy network, the use of alternative and transitional fuels like LNG will be critically important in helping build resiliency and reliability into the system," said Pedro Pierluisi, Governor of Puerto Rico. "Crowley's new LNG Loading Terminal in Peñuelas will foster much needed new economic activity for municipalities in the island, and it will also position Puerto Rico's industrial and commercial sector on a fast-track path toward economic growth by providing reliable and environmentally friendlier energy solutions. My administration is pleased to join in today's milestone celebration, which further solidifies Crowley's long history of serving the Puerto Rico market."

The facility will significantly grow Crowley's service capabilities in Puerto Rico, delivering more than 94 million gallons of LNG annually. When operating at full distribution capacity, it will help power an aggregate of 120MW in cleaner energy while helping to reduce carbon dioxide and sulfur emissions.

"The inauguration of Crowley's new LNG Loading Terminal marks an important step toward the diversification of Puerto Rico's energy industry, allowing us to maximize the use of alternative fuels like LNG to usher the island into a new era of cleaner energy," said Jenniffer Gonzalez, Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner. "The investment in these state-of-the-art facilities will also afford Puerto Rico the opportunity to play a strategic role in LNG national security efforts while leveraging new LNG technologies and economic development opportunities."

Functionally, from Peñuelas, operators will load natural gas in its liquid form onto 10,000-gallon ISO containers for over-the-road transport to customer facilities around the island. Upon arrival at the customer's site, the LNG will be re-gasified and used for power generation and energy consumption.

Crowley is a privately held, U.S.-owned and -operated maritime, energy and logistics solutions company serving commercial and government sectors with more than $2.5 billion in annual revenues, over 170 vessels mostly in the Jones Act fleet and approximately 7,000 employees around the world – employing more U.S. mariners than any other company. The Crowley enterprise has invested more than $3 billion in maritime transport, which is the backbone of global trade and the global economy. As a global ship owner-operator and services provider with more than 130 years of innovation and a commitment to sustainability, the company serves customers in 36 nations and island territories through four business units: Crowley Logistics, Crowley Shipping, Crowley Solutions and Crowley Fuels. Additional information about Crowley, its business units and subsidiaries can be found at http://www.crowley.com.

LNG facts from the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas (CLNG):

Functionality

LNG, or liquefied natural gas, is natural gas that is cooled to -260° Fahrenheit until it becomes a liquid and then stored at essentially atmospheric pressure. Converting natural gas to LNG, a process that reduces its volume by about 600 times allows it to be transported. Once delivered to its destination, the LNG is warmed back into its original gaseous state so that it can be used just like existing natural gas supplies.

When returned to its gaseous state, LNG is used across the residential, commercial and industrial sectors for purposes as diverse as heating and cooling homes, cooking, generating electricity and manufacturing paper, metal, glass and other materials. LNG is not stored under pressure and it is not explosive. LNG vapors (methane) mixed with air are not explosive in an unconfined environment. When exposed to the environment, LNG rapidly evaporates, leaving no residue on water or soil.

Reduced Emissions Science

Because of its environmental characteristics, increased use of natural gas has driven billions of tons in carbon dioxide (CO2) savings in the United States. As nations seek to reduce their emissions and provide cleaner air, many will turn to LNG as a natural gas source. The U.S. Energy Information Administration attributes 25-year lows in CO2 emissions to greater use of natural gas along with renewables. Because of natural gas, the United States has led the world in CO2 reductions.

SOURCE Crowley Maritime Corporation