What is LNG?

LNG, short for Liquefied Natural Gas, is essentially the same as the natural gas that has been safely used in New Zealand for more than 40 years. The only difference is that LNG is natural gas that has been cooled and condensed to a liquid to enable large volumes to be transported over long distances.

Through cooling the natural gas to a liquid, the liquefied natural gas occupies 1/600th the volume of the natural gas, making it economic to transport over long distances. One shipment of LNG can provide enough energy to heat more than 40,000 homes for an entire year.

LNG is the cleanest burning of all the thermal fuels. Imported LNG would have even less impurities than New Zealand natural gas. When the natural gas from LNG burns it doesn’t produce any ash, dust or smoke – just energy, water and less than half the carbon dioxide of coal.

It is the same as the safe, clean-burning natural gas that New Zealand has used for decades.