Italy could get two new liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals as the country looks to replace Russian pipeline gas supplies.
The country currently has three large LNG import terminals. These include Snam’s Panigaglia onshore LNG terminal, FSRU Toscana, and the offshore gravity-based Rovigo LNG terminal.
Combined, these facilities have a capacity of about 10.9 mtpa, according to GIIGNL.
Italy also has small-scale facilities such as the terminal in the port of Ravenna and the Higas terminal located on the Italian island of Sardinia.
Due to the Ukraine-Russia crisis, Italy is now looking to replace Russian gas pipeline imports in the next 24-30 months, including with LNG, Italy’s climate minister Roberto Cingolani told Italian state broadcaster RAI on Tuesday.
Italy currently imports about 29 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia, just over 40 percent of its total imports.
In order to replace these supplies, Cingolani said that Italy would install a new FSRU by the middle of this year.
Also, the country plans to increase the utilization of the current facilities and build new infrastructure, he said.
Cingolani did not provide any additional information regarding the FSRU.
Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the matter, that Eni and Snam would help out on the logistics including looking for the FSRU to charter.
Besides the Panigaglia project, Snam has stakes in both the Toscana and Rovigo terminals, while Eni has a portfolio of LNG export developments including Coral Sul FLNG, Damietta liquefaction plant, and the planned Congo LNG export project.
Enel resumes Porto Empedocle LNG plans
Italian energy firm Enel has resumed plans to build the Porto Empedocle LNG import facility in Sicily, an Enel’s spokesman told LNG Prime on Tuesday.
Enel bought Nuove Energie, the developer of the regasification terminal at Porto Empedocle, back in 2007.
However, the 6 mtpa project never materialized with some reports saying that Enel scrapped it at the beginning of this year.
“Enel believes that, in order to be less tied to gas pipelines in Italy, it is useful for the country to have two additional LNG terminals,” the spokesman said.
“For this reason, Enel has given availability to resume the Porto Empedocle LNG plant project, that is fully permitted,” he said.
Enel did not provide any additional information regarding the project.