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In January, Gastrade suspended regasification services at the FSRU-based facility due to an unidentified technical issue.
Last month, a Gastrade spokeswoman told LNG Prime that the Alexandroupolis LNG terminal is anticipated to resume operations at full capacity by the start of the next gas year, which starts on October 1.
She also said at the time that “this ramp-up could start gradually as early as late May.”
Gastrade said in an update on Thursday that the suspension of regasification services, which emerged in late January, was due to “a technical issue leading to the damage of the booster pumps onboard the FSRU.”
The company said it had already undertaken all necessary actions to address the issue and repair the booster pumps.
“Based on the progress of the remediation works and with a view to ensure the safest possible resumption of operations, the terminal will resume unloading and regasification services on August 15, 2025, with an available regasification capacity capped at 25 percent of its maximum sustainable capacity, i.e. c. 41.5 GWh/day, with available redundancy re. its booster pumps,” it said.
Gatsrade said such availability would be offered for the period from August 15 to September 30, 2025, under “certain operational and commercial conditions.”
“The 25 percent cap will be lifted as of the start of the next gas year, i.e. from October 1, 2025, whereas certain operation constraints may remain for a limited period of time,” the company said.
LNG shipments
As previously reported by LNG Prime, UK-based energy giant BP supplied an LNG cargo to Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz via the Alexandroupolis FSRU in January.
The 2021-built 174,000-cbm, BW Lesmes, delivered the shipment from the Freeport LNG terminal in Texas to the 153,500-cbm FSRU, Alexandroupolis, on January 19.
In November last year, Bulgargaz picked UK-based BP Gas Marketing, a unit of BP, and US-based Venture Global Commodities to supply two spot LNG cargoes via the Alexandrouplis FSRU-based terminal in January and February this year.
This new delivery by BP marked the fourth commercial LNG delivery to the FSRU-based facility in Alexandrouplis.
Gastrade’s FSRU received its first commercial LNG shipment from Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG terminal in Norway on October 3, 2024.
This shipment was supplied to Bulgargaz by French energy giant TotalEnergies.
In addition, TotalEnergies also supplied Bulgargaz with one LNG shipment in November and the other in December.
The November LNG cargo was sourced from Sempra’s Cameron LNG terminal in Louisiana, while the December cargo arrived from Venture Global LNG’s Calcasieu Pass LNG terminal in Louisiana.
Gastrade’s shareholders include founder Copelouzou, DESFA, DEPA, Bulgartransgaz, and GasLog.
This is Greece’s first FSRU and the second LNG import terminal, adding to DESFA’s Revithoussa LNG terminal.
The Alexandroupolis LNG terminal has a capacity of up to 5.5 bcm per year, or some 66.3 TWh per year.
LNG deliveries to DESFA’s Revithoussa LNG terminal jumped in the first quarter of this year, with the US supplying most of the volumes.
The LNG shipments in the three-month period totaled 10.65 terawatt hours, or 20 tankers.
This marks a 53.7 percent rise compared to 6.93 terawatt hours, or 9 tankers, in the first quarter of 2024.