GTT leaves the ship and ventures onto land in China.
For decades, the French company GTT (Technigaz and Gaztransport) has reigned over the world of LNG carriers thanks to its expertise in tank design, which allows these sea giants (sometimes over 200,000 tons in size) to minimize losses of their precious cargo: Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
Today, the technology of the French company is so appreciated that the company is preparing to take a strategic step: bringing it onto the nearby land close to a liquefaction plant!
A first step towards a new adventure that could take the French company very, very far.
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A first for GTT to experiment with its membrane technology near a GNL liquefaction plant on land
The contract announced on April 8, 2026 marks a fundamental turning point for GTT as it has been selected by Beijing Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd., in cooperation with Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum & Natural Gas Co. Ltd., to design a land-based LNG storage tank.
This reservoir, with a capacity of 10,000 m³, will be installed at the Yangjiawan liquefaction site in the city of Yan’an (Shaanxi province).
On paper, this may seem modest compared to the gigantic LNG carriers capable of transporting up to 200,000 m³. However, this project marks a significant milestone in the company’s history.
This is the first time that GTT’s membrane technology is being deployed in close proximity to a land-based liquefaction plant.
GTT is stepping out of its historical playing field, the sea, to enter the field of energy infrastructure on land.
Why this small 10,000 m³ tank marks a strategic turning point
In the LNG industry, not everything is played on a large scale. In recent years, a new trend has emerged: that of compact liquefaction units, more flexible, and quicker to deploy.
Unlike large coastal terminals, these installations must deal with:
- significant space constraints
- maximized energy efficiency needs
- high safety requirements
In this context, conventional tanks show their limitations.
The choice of a membrane tank for a land installation therefore responds to a clear logic: to do better with less space.
A technology capable of doubling thermal performance
The core of this contract relies on an innovation: the GST® technology (full integrity membrane) developed by GTT.
This technology aims to limit the cold losses in an environment where LNG is stored at around -163 °C.
Thanks to an advanced insulation design, this technology allows:
- a thermal performance up to twice as high as traditional land-based tanks
- a significant reduction in boil-off gas (BOG) losses
- improved storage stability
In addition, there is often an underestimated element: integrated monitoring.
The system incorporates real-time monitoring tools that allow tracking the tank’s condition, anticipating anomalies, and optimizing operations.
