LNG throughput in the port of Rotterdam rose 77.7 percent in the first quarter of this year on the back of high gas prices in Europe.
The port, home to the currently only Dutch large LNG import terminal, Gate, said that total LNG throughput had reached 2.70 million tonnes in the January-March period, compared to 1.52 million tonnes in the year before.
Incoming LNG volumes surged 100.8 percent to 2.59 million tonnes, while outgoing volumes dropped 52.7 percent to 109,000 tonnes, according to the Rotterdam port’s quarterly report.
The Gate LNG terminal in the Rotterdam, owned by Gasunie and Vopak, has a capacity of 12 bcm or 8.8 mtpa of LNG, but it will boost it to 13.5 bcm from 2024 as part of a deal with Germany’s Uniper.
LNG Prime recently reported that the facility had regasified 1.15 bcm during March, 15 percent above its nameplate capacity.
Also, the facility regasified in total 3.09 bcm during the first quarter.
The Netherlands will continue to increase its LNG imports as the country and Europe look to reduce reliance on Russian gas.
Gate shareholder and Dutch gas grid operator, Gasunie, recently revealed plans to additionally boost capacity at the Gate facility, as well as to install a floating storage regasification unit at the Eemshaven port, operated by Groningen Seaports.
With the new LNG facility in Eemshaven and the planned expansion of Gate, the LNG capacity in the Netherlands could double from current 12 bcm to 24 bcm, according to Gasunie.