Alexandroupolis FSRU receives first commercial LNG cargo

The 2009-built 165,500-cbm, Seapeak Magellan, which is on charter to France’s TotalEnergies, was located at the 153,600-cbm FSRU, Alexandroupolis, on October 3, its AIS data provided by VesselsValue shows.

Seapeak Magellan is loaded with a cargo from Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG export terminal in Norway, where France’s TotalEnergies is a shareholder.

A spokeswoman for Gastrade confined the arrival of Seapeak Magellan, adding that LNG transfer began on Thursday.

As previously reported by LNG Prime, TotalEnergies delivered the cargo to Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz which previously booked capacity at Gastrade’s FSRU-based LNG import facility.

Bulgargaz recently awarded a tender to TotalEnergies Gas and Power, a unit of TotalEnergies, to supply one LNG cargo via the Alexandroupolis FSRU.

The company sought one LNG cargo of about 150,000 cbm on a DES (delivery ex-ship) basis.

First Greek FSRU

Gastrade officially launched commercial operations at its FSRU-based LNG import terminal on October 1.

Gastrade’s shareholders include founder Copelouzou, DESFA, DEPA, Bulgartransgaz, and GasLog.

This is Greece’s first FSRU and the second LNG import facility, adding to DESFA’s import terminal located on the island of Revithoussa.

The Alexandroupolis LNG terminal has a capacity of up to 5.5 bcm.

On February 18, the 174,000-cbm LNG carrier GasLog Hong Kong delivered the commissioning cargo from the US to the FSRU.

The LNG carrier, also chartered by TotalEnergies, brought the shipment from Sempra’s Cameron LNG plant in Louisiana.

After that, Gastrade planned to launch commercial operations at the end of April and receive the next LNG cargo in mid-May.

However, the company postponed the launch because of a problem that was identified during commissioning in the project’s pipeline system.

Last month, the FSRU-based LNG import terminal off Alexandroupolis completed final tests.

14 Greek and international companies

The FSRU is located in the sea of Thrace at a distance of 17.6 km SW from the port of Alexandroupolis and 10 km from the nearest coast of Makri.

In addition to the FSRU, the terminal consists of a subsea and onshore natural gas pipeline that connects the unit to the domestic grid.

Gastrade said the terminal will deliver natural gas to Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova, and Ukraine in the east, as well as Hungary and Slovakia in the west.

According to the firm, 14 Greek and international companies are already participating commercially in the project, committing almost all of the terminal’s capacity until at least 2030.

US LNG exporter Venture Global LNG recentl booked long-term capacity at Gastrade’s LNG import terminal.

Under the binding terminal use agreement, Venture Global has secured about 1 mtpa of LNG regasification capacity at the terminal for five years, beginning in 2025.

Venture Global’s capacity will account for about 25 percent of the total terminal capacity or about 12 LNG cargoes annually, it said.