BG Group delivers first LNG cargo to Chile

LONDON (Reuters) - BG Group has delivered the first-ever cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Chile, the London-based gas company said on Monday.

BG's 145,000-cubic-metre tanker, the Methane Jane Elizabeth, is carrying gas from Trinidad and will be used to commission the Quintero LNG regasification terminal in which BG Group holds a 40 percent interest.

"Quintero LNG further extends BG Group's long-term commitment to South America," Martin Houston, executive vice president and managing director for Americas and Global LNG at BG Group, said.

"It also brings added flexibility to our global LNG business with the addition of new, counter-seasonal regasification capacity in an attractive and fast-growing market."

The terminal, which is about 110 kilometres northwest of the Chilean capital Santiago, will be the first onshore LNG import facility to open in the southern hemisphere, BG said.

The company has agreed to supply the terminal with up to 1.7 million tonnes of LNG a year for the next 21 years.

Once fully operational, Quintero LNG will be able to meet up to 40 percent of current Chilean gas demand.

(Reporting by Daniel Fineren, Editing by Michael Kahn)