Estonia’s Eesti Gaas secures winter LNG supplies from Norway’s Equinor

Eesti Gas, a part of Estonian investment firm Infortar, said it has purchased liquefied natural gas supplies for the upcoming winter season from Norway’s Equinor, the operator of the Hammerfest LNG export plant.

According to a statement by Eesti Gas on Tuesday, the firm bought 2 TWh of LNG, or about two cargoes, for delivery in October and November at Lithuania’s FSRU-based Klaipeda LNG import facility.

The firm said this would “significantly increase” Estonia’s security of supply in the upcoming heating season.

It did not provide the price tag of the deal but local media reports suggest Eesti Gas would pay about 300 million euros ($300.2 million) for the supplies.

Eesti Gas also did not say from where the supplies would come. Equinor would likely ship the fuel to Klaipeda from its 4.3 mtpa Hammerfest LNG export plant on the island of Melkoya.

This facility started exporting LNG again in June this year after a fire broke out at the plant in September 2020.

Eesti Gas to continue buying LNG

Eesti Gaas, which is branded internationally as Elenger, said it has purchased three LNG cargoes from Poland’s dominant gas firm and LNG player, PGNiG, in recent months.

The firm said that two LNG tankers arrived in Klaipeda from the United States at the beginning of May and early June, and one from Norway at the end of June.

These deliveries would ensure customers’ gas supply until autumn, while the new contract with Equinor would cover gas consumption throughout the heating season, Eesti Gaas said.

Eesti Gaas offers customers natural gas in the form of pipeline gas, CNG, LNG, and manages Estonia’s largest gas network. It also operates in Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland under the Elenger brand name.

Margus Kaasik, chairman of the Eesti Gaas board, said in the statement this new contract with Equinor “is one of the biggest deals ever for Eesti Gaas”.

Kaasik said the firm would continue to procure the next LNG quantities into the new year.

“The price of gas will likely be high in the upcoming winter, but looking a little further ahead, the transition to LNG and the establishment of new supply chains will eventually bring calm to the market with lower and more stable prices,” he said.

Estonia currently has no LNG import terminals but Alexela and Infortar are working on the FSRU-based Paldiski LNG facility along with Elering.

Most Popular

Monkey Island LNG selects ConocoPhillips’ liquefaction tech

Monkey Island LNG has selected ConocoPhillips’ optimized cascade process liquefaction technology for its planned 26 mtpa liquefaction and export facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

Italy’s Adriatic LNG to resume full ops by mid-September

Italy’s Adriatic LNG import terminal, owned by VTTI and Snam, expects to resume full operations by the middle of this month following the completion of maintenance activities.

Gasgrid says seven Inkoo regas slots booked

Firms have booked seven regasification slots at the Inkoo FSRU-based terminal for 2026 following the completion of the annual allocation procedure, according to Finland’s gas system and LNG terminal operator Gasgrid.

More News Like This

Deutsche ReGas: BASF, Equinor book Mukran regas capacity

German chemicals giant BASF and Norwegian energy firm Equinor have booked long-term regasification capacity at the Deutsche ReGas-operated FSRU-based LNG import facility in Mukran, Germany.

Equinor resumes Hammerfest LNG ops

Norway’s Equinor has restarted its 4.3 mtpa Hammerfest LNG export plant following an unplanned shutdown over the weekend.

Havila amends LNG fuel deal

Norwegian shipping firm Havila Voyages said it had entered into a renegotiated LNG procurement deal aimed at reducing costs and increasing flexibility.

Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG back online after maintenance

Norwegian energy firm Equinor has resumed operations at its 4.3 mtpa Hammerfest LNG export plant following an extended maintenance shutdown, a spokesperson for Equinor told LNG Prime on Monday.