WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff has secured a contract to provide services on the National Grid Grain Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Framework.

The firm will provide engineering and design services for the LNG terminal located on the Isle of Grain in Kent.

As the largest LNG facility in Europe (1,000,000m3), National Grid Grain LNG plans to increase its capacity and the scope of its services, including potential on-site power generation and storage facilities, to meet the UK's future energy needs.

Features of WSP's contract include providing feasibility studies, conceptual design and front-end engineering, to safety and risk assessment, and hazard and operability studies (HAZOP) to identify and evaluate potential risks.


The facility was created to import natural gas that has been liquefied for ease of transport and storage. Once at the terminal, gas can be re-gasified and fed into the UK's national grid gas transmission system or stored to address future energy demand.

Glenn Halton, oil and gas sector lead at WSP, said: "This is a crucial project for increasing the security and diversity of the UK's energy supply whilst we progressively switch from coal to cleaner gas fired power plants."

Nicola Duffin, senior commercial manager at National Grid's Grain LNG, added: "Grain recently celebrated ten exceptional years  of progress and now we are looking to the future, increasing the services we offer to our customers and working to ensure that Grain remains the European port of choice for LNG shippers."

(LM)