{ "id": "epz1bzq1e5", "slug": "acajutla-fsru", "title": "Acajutla FSRU", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "technology", "label": "Technology and the built world", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/technology" }, { "id": "technology.energy", "label": "Energy technology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/technology.energy" }, { "id": "technology.energy.energy.natural_gas", "label": "Natural gas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/technology.energy.energy.natural_gas" }, { "id": "technology.energy.energy.natural_gas.floating-storage-and-regasification-units", "label": "Floating storage and regasification units", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/technology.energy.energy.natural_gas.floating-storage-and-regasification-units" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.latam.t2021.technology.energy.energy.natural_gas", "label": "Latin America and the Caribbean · 2021 and later: Natural gas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2021.technology.energy.energy.natural_gas", "path": [ { "id": "geo.latam", "label": "Latin America and the Caribbean", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam" }, { "id": "geo.latam.t2021", "label": "Latin America and the Caribbean · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.latam.t2021.technology", "label": "Technology and the built world", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2021.technology" }, { "id": "geo.latam.t2021.technology.energy", "label": "Energy technology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2021.technology.energy" }, { "id": "geo.latam.t2021.technology.energy.energy.natural_gas", "label": "Natural gas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.latam.t2021.technology.energy.energy.natural_gas" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Acajutla FSRU, the vessel BW Tatiana, is El Salvador's first floating storage and regasification unit, moored off Acajutla to supply the 378 MW Energía del Pacífico power plant.", "snippet": "The Acajutla FSRU, the vessel BW Tatiana, is El Salvador's first floating storage and regasification unit, moored off Acajutla to supply the 378 MW Energía del Pacífico power plant.", "node": "technology.energy.energy.natural_gas.floating-storage-and-regasification-units", "markdown": "# Acajutla FSRU\n\nThe **Acajutla FSRU** is a permanently moored [floating storage and regasification unit](https://www.edgepedia.org/floating-storage-and-regasification-unit) (FSRU) located about 1.2 km off the port of Acajutla, in the Department of Sonsonate on [El Salvador](https://www.edgepedia.org/el-salvador)'s Pacific coast, where it receives, stores, and regasifies liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the adjacent 378 MW Energía del Pacífico (EDP) gas-fired power plant.[1](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/ESRS/34588/acajutla-lng%3BRisk%3D) The vessel, the BW Tatiana, is the first FSRU deployed in El Salvador and, on completion, was to be [Central America](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-america)'s first floating storage and regasification unit.[2](https://bw-group.com/our-businesses/bw-lng/projects/acajutla-fsru-project-in-el-salvador/) • [3](https://www.gem.wiki/Acajutla_FSRU)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Vessel | BW Tatiana, 137,000 m³ LNG storage capacity, regasification capacity of 280 million standard cubic feet per day[2](https://bw-group.com/our-businesses/bw-lng/projects/acajutla-fsru-project-in-el-salvador/) |\n| Location | Permanently moored approximately 1.2 km offshore Acajutla, Sonsonate, using a Restricted Catenary Mooring system[1](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/ESRS/34588/acajutla-lng%3BRisk%3D) |\n| Ownership | Jointly owned by BW LNG and Invenergy Investment Company; terminal owned 100% by Energía del Pacífico Ltda, operated by EDP[2](https://bw-group.com/our-businesses/bw-lng/projects/acajutla-fsru-project-in-el-salvador/) • [3](https://www.gem.wiki/Acajutla_FSRU) |\n| Timeline | Arrived at Acajutla in November 2021; first LNG delivery April 2022; power plant commercial operations May 2022[3](https://www.gem.wiki/Acajutla_FSRU) |\n| Throughput | Approximately six LNG shipments per year; import capacity listed at 2.15 Mtpa, equivalent to 2.92 bcm of gas per year[1](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/ESRS/34588/acajutla-lng%3BRisk%3D) • [4](https://lngatlas.site/terminal/acajutla-fsru-sv/) |\n| Role in grid | Supplies gas to the 378 MW EDP plant, which provides over 30% of El Salvador's electricity demand[5](https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/el-salvador-energy) |\n| Financing | $128.3 million from IDB Invest announced May 2021 to fund the FSRU conversion, within a project investment of over USD 1.15 billion[3](https://www.gem.wiki/Acajutla_FSRU) • [5](https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/el-salvador-energy) |\n\n## Origin in the LNG-to-Power project\n\nThe terminal exists to serve a single customer. In 2012 the Government of El Salvador launched a tender for up to 355 MW of new generation capacity to be allocated across seven private distribution companies for 20 years; EDP won with a 378 MW gas-fired base-load plant and signed a 20-year power purchase agreement at the end of 2013.[6](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/SII/34588/acajutla-lng) The wider Acajutla LNG project comprises the power plant, the FSRU marine terminal, a subsea gas pipeline of roughly 1.3 km plus a 500-meter onshore underground pipeline, and a 44 km, 230 kV transmission line connecting the plant to the grid and to the Central American Electrical Interconnection System (SIEPAC).[6](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/SII/34588/acajutla-lng) • [3](https://www.gem.wiki/Acajutla_FSRU) The plant site and terminal sit within the existing port and industrial area under a 24-year lease with the Executive Commission of the Port of Acajutla (CEPA), which owns and manages the port.[6](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/SII/34588/acajutla-lng)\n\nThe project was described as the largest private infrastructure investment in El Salvador's history, valued at over USD 1.15 billion, developed by the U.S.-based Invenergy with Salvadoran partners including Grupo Calleja, VC Energy de Centroamérica, and Quantum Energy.[5](https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/el-salvador-energy) • [3](https://www.gem.wiki/Acajutla_FSRU)\n\n## The vessel and its conversion\n\n**BW Tatiana.** The unit is a moss-type [LNG carrier](https://www.edgepedia.org/lng-carrier) previously owned by Shell under the name SS Gallina, purchased and converted into an FSRU at Keppel's Tuas Yard in Singapore, in the Jurong Industrial Estate.[7](https://idbinvest.org/en/projects/floating-storage-regasification-unit-acajutla-lng-power-project) • [8](https://www.idbinvest.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/FLOATI_2_1.PDF) The conversion sponsors were BW Gas Ltd and Invenergy Investment Company, through the borrower companies FSRU, Ltda. de C.V. in El Salvador and FSRU Development Pte Ltd in Singapore; BW LNG provides management oversight during conversion and operation.[7](https://idbinvest.org/en/projects/floating-storage-regasification-unit-acajutla-lng-power-project) • [2](https://bw-group.com/our-businesses/bw-lng/projects/acajutla-fsru-project-in-el-salvador/) Wärtsilä announced completion of the FSRU installation in November 2021.[3](https://www.gem.wiki/Acajutla_FSRU)\n\nThe vessel arrived at Acajutla in November 2021 according to Global Energy Monitor, while Energía del Pacífico's trade press coverage states it arrived in October 2021; both accounts agree it received its first LNG delivery in April 2022 and that the power plant began commercial operations in May 2022.[3](https://www.gem.wiki/Acajutla_FSRU) • [9](https://gnlglobal.com/el-salvador-alcanza-40-descargas-de-gnl-desde-el-inicio-de-operaciones-de-energia-del-pacifico/)\n\n## Terminal operations\n\nLNG carriers moor directly to the FSRU, with flexible hoses used to transfer cargo; the FSRU was designed to receive approximately six shipments per year.[1](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/ESRS/34588/acajutla-lng%3BRisk%3D) Regasified gas travels to shore through a flexible 3-D riser and a subsea pipeline.[1](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/ESRS/34588/acajutla-lng%3BRisk%3D) A 300-meter exclusion zone surrounds the marine terminal, and ship-to-ship (STS) transfers offshore Acajutla have become a routine part of supply: in early 2026 a cargo of about 110,000 m³ from Bonny Island, Nigeria was transferred to the BW Tatiana in open water.[8](https://www.idbinvest.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/FLOATI_2_1.PDF) • [9](https://gnlglobal.com/el-salvador-alcanza-40-descargas-de-gnl-desde-el-inicio-de-operaciones-de-energia-del-pacifico/)\n\n**Operating record.** On 27 August 2026 EDP reported the 40th LNG discharge since commercial operations began in May 2022: the carrier SM BLUEBIRD, arriving from [Corpus Christi](https://www.edgepedia.org/corpus-christi), United States, discharged 41,444 m³ of LNG, about 0.93 TBtu of energy. Cargoes have come from both the U.S. Atlantic basin and [West Africa](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-africa), and the project's entry into service made El Salvador the second LNG-importing market in Central America after Panama.[9](https://gnlglobal.com/el-salvador-alcanza-40-descargas-de-gnl-desde-el-inicio-de-operaciones-de-energia-del-pacifico/)\n\n## Role in El Salvador's electricity system\n\nThe FSRU underpins the EDP plant, which runs on 19 Wärtsilä 18V50SG reciprocating engines of 18.9 MW each plus a 26 MW steam turbine driven by engine exhaust heat, and an overall efficiency of approximately 49%.[1](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/ESRS/34588/acajutla-lng%3BRisk%3D) The plant supplies over 30% of the country's electricity demand and was expected to be the lowest-cost thermal generator in El Salvador, displacing generation based on imported heavy fuel oil.[5](https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/el-salvador-energy) • [7](https://idbinvest.org/en/projects/floating-storage-regasification-unit-acajutla-lng-power-project) BW Group estimated the switch would cut El Salvador's energy imports from 25% to about 5% in 2023 and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 376,000 tons.[2](https://bw-group.com/our-businesses/bw-lng/projects/acajutla-fsru-project-in-el-salvador/) Through the 44 km, 230 kV transmission line to the Ahuachapán substation, the plant also strengthens the country's connection to SIEPAC, allowing electricity trade with the rest of Central America.[6](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/SII/34588/acajutla-lng) • [10](https://www.ifc.org/en/pressroom/2019/ifc-lidera-una-inversion-historica-para-el-primer-proyecto-integ)\n\n## References\n\n1. [IFC Environmental & Social Review Summary, Acajutla LNG (Project 34588)](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/ESRS/34588/acajutla-lng%3BRisk%3D)\n2. [BW Tatiana in El Salvador, BW Group](https://bw-group.com/our-businesses/bw-lng/projects/acajutla-fsru-project-in-el-salvador/)\n3. [Acajutla FSRU, Global Energy Monitor](https://www.gem.wiki/Acajutla_FSRU)\n4. [Acajutla FSRU import terminal, Sonsonate, El Salvador, LNG Atlas](https://lngatlas.site/terminal/acajutla-fsru-sv/)\n5. [El Salvador - Energy, Country Commercial Guide, U.S. Department of Commerce](https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/el-salvador-energy)\n6. [IFC Summary of Investment Information, Acajutla LNG (Project 34588)](https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/SII/34588/acajutla-lng)\n7. [Floating Storage Regasification Unit for Acajutla LNG to Power Project, IDB Invest](https://idbinvest.org/en/projects/floating-storage-regasification-unit-acajutla-lng-power-project)\n8. [IDB Invest Environmental and Social Review Summary, FSRU for Acajutla LNG to Power Project](https://www.idbinvest.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/FLOATI_2_1.PDF)\n9. [El Salvador alcanza 40 descargas de GNL desde el inicio de operaciones de Energía del Pacífico, GNL Global](https://gnlglobal.com/el-salvador-alcanza-40-descargas-de-gnl-desde-el-inicio-de-operaciones-de-energia-del-pacifico/)\n10. [IFC Lidera una Inversión Histórica para el Primer Proyecto Integrado de GNL en El Salvador, IFC Press Room](https://www.ifc.org/en/pressroom/2019/ifc-lidera-una-inversion-historica-para-el-primer-proyecto-integ)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Energy technology › Natural gas › Floating storage and regasification units*\n\n*Initially written Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/acajutla-fsru", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/acajutla-fsru.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Acajutla FSRU\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/acajutla-fsru. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Acajutla FSRU](https://www.edgepedia.org/acajutla-fsru)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/acajutla-fsru](https://www.edgepedia.org/acajutla-fsru). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Acajutla FSRU\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/acajutla-fsru. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Acajutla FSRU, the vessel BW Tatiana, is El Salvador's first floating storage and regasification unit, moored off Acajutla to supply the 378 MW Energía del Pacífico power plant." }