French energy firm Engie has booked the remaining regasification capacity at Gasunie’s LNG import hub in Eemshaven, which will host two floating storage and regasification units.
Engie contracted 1 billion cubic meters (bcm) out of the total 8 bcm, according to a statement by Gasunie.
Shell and Czech firm ČEZ previously took 7 bcm of the capacity with the latter booking 3 bcm.
Ulco Vermeulen, member of Gasunie’s executive board of Gasunie, said that the company’s unit and the developer of the LNG hub, EemsEnergyTerminal, sold out the entire capacity “in a period of just three months.”
“In the coming weeks, all attention will be focused on the technical preparation of the location for the floating terminal. This too will take place at record speed,” he said.
Marc Pannier, executive committee member of Engie’s business entity global energy management and sales, said these new capacities “are part of Engie’s strategy to secure the supply for our customers and support the energy independency in Europe.”
First LNG delivery in September
To remind, Belgium’s Exmar and Gasunie signed a five-year charter deal for the 120 meters long FSRU S188 in March.
Following a trip from Singapore, this barge-based FSRU arrived in Rotterdam in June for modification works at the Damen yard.
Besides this unit, Gasunie also signed a charter deal for a larger FSRU with US LNG player New Fortress Energy. The vessel in question is the 174,000-cbm Golar Igloo.
Gasunie said in the statement it expects the two FSRUs to arrive in Eemshaven in early September.
Also, the firm expects the first delivery of LNG through the terminal to take place as early as mid-September.
With an expansion at the Gate terminal in Rotterdam and the Eemshaven project, Dutch capacity would double from current 12 bcm to 24 bcm.