2/10/2008

Secretary of State for Wales Paul Murphy has seen how a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in West Wales has the potential to supply a significant proportion of the UK's future gas requirements and is helping to boost the local economy.

During his visit to the South Hook LNG terminal in Milford Haven Mr Murphy met with General Manager, Mohammed Al-Naimi and other key staff before touring the site and going inside one of the tanks that will hold the liquefied natural gas.

Following his visit Mr Murphy said: "The South Hook terminal is a very impressive facility which has enormous potential for the future gas supply of the UK. The work that has been carried out to develop not only the facility in Milford Haven has been carefully considered in terms of the environment and the impact it will have on the local community.

"I was particularly impressed by the way the huge storage tanks had been engineered to minimise their visual intrusiveness and the way in which the existing jetty structure had been reused to minimise the impact on the marine eco-systems of the Haven.

"The South Hook terminal will also have a positive effect on employment long after construction is complete where Milford Haven may become the Energy Capital of the UK."

South Hook General Manager, Mohammed Al-Naimi, said: "It was a great pleasure to be able to show the Secretary of State for Wales one element of the $13 billion Qatargas 2 project, our South Hook terminal here in Milford Haven.

"We are very proud of what we have accomplished here and look forward to becoming a key element in meeting the UK's need for secure natural gas."