Environmental impact of LNG terminals in the gulf of trieste (Northern Adriatic)

Abstract

The environmental impact of the proposed offshore gas terminal of LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) in the centre of the small (20 × 20 km), shallow (maximum depth 24 m) semi-enclosed Gulf of Trieste has been evaluated. The terminal of dimensions 280 × 120 m would affect the marine environment in several ways. First, the temperature of the sea-water used in the heat-exchangers would be decreased by about 5°C. The concentration of chlorine in this seawater has to be no greater than 0.2 mg/L. The spread of the cooled discharged sea-water, which would be released from a pipe at the seabed, has been examined. Secondly, the release of seawater directly from the outfall pipe without diffusers would cause resuspension of the sediment, which is polluted by metals, especially mercury. An operational problem is that the seasonal population of jellyfish and occurrence of suspended macro aggregates (mucilage) could block the intake of warming sea-water. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.