China uses cold Liquefied Natural Gas to farm lobsters

Can Liquefied Natural Gas help fishing? An experimental project in China has successfully cultivated high-value marine species, such as grouper, lobster and abalone, using the cold energy of liquefied natural gas (LNG or LNG), in an effort to diversify the sources of its fish products and reduce dependence on foreign countries.

The trial – which uses the cold produced during the heat exchange between seawater and LNG – took place at an LNG receiving terminal in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, the state regulator said about the assets on his official social media account on Thursday. Practically, the cold generated in the regasification of LNG-LNG and salt water are used to create the conditions necessary for the breeding of highly valuable fish species, such as abalones and lobsters, which are sold at very high prices. Regasification brings sea water to a temperature of 3-5 degrees and also makes it extremely pure, and therefore usable in the aquaculture of valuable species

The project is estimated to achieve an annual production of 50 tonnes and reduce costs by about 30% compared to conventional cultivation methods, the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission said.

Conceived in December 2022, the project introduced the first batch of fry – or juvenile fish – a year later, before successfully producing fish in January, according to a People's Daily report in January.

“Currently, lobsters on the food market are mainly imported from abroad. The project aims to replace high-end imported seafood products using artificial propagation,” reads the WeChat post.

The project is another step forward in China's ongoing efforts to reduce its dependence on seafood imports, as it places increasing emphasis on food security amid escalating geopolitical tensions.

The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which is located inland, said in August that it had used its brine – a mixture of salt and water – to begin developing seawater aquaculture, which includes marine fish fresh water, prawns, abalone and lobsters. We therefore have lobsters produced in the middle of the desert, a remarkable achievement, although one wonders whether the scarce water resources could not have been used differently.

As a product highly prized by China's middle class, the domestic lobster market has traditionally relied on imports from Australia, the United States and New Zealand. Beijing unofficially banned lobster imports from Australia in 2020, in response to calls from Canberra for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus. Before the ban, more than half of China's lobster imports in 2019 came from Australia.

Beijing lifted an unofficial ban on Australian coal last year, following a thaw in ties with Canberra, which led to market speculation about a possible easing of the ban on Australian lobsters.

According to the social media post, the Shenzhen LNG terminal can provide a continuous supply of low-temperature sterile seawater, which can improve the flesh quality of high-value seafood and ensure year-round supply.
In high-value fish farming, temperature control represents the most significant cost.
Commission for Supervision and Administration of State-Owned Assets

Other automated techniques, such as temperature control and centralized ventilation, were also incorporated into the project to enrich the variety of cultivated species, reduce costs and increase efficiency.

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The article China uses cold Liquefied Natural Gas to farm lobsters comes from Economic Scenarios .

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This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-cina-usa-il-freddo-del-gas-naturale-liquefatto-per-allevare-aragoste/ on Sat, 16 Mar 2024 09:00:45 +0000.