Norwegian shipping group Stolt-Nielsen expects Avenir LNG’s Higas small-scale terminal located on the Italian island of Sardinia to go online next month.
The firm is a shareholder in London-based small-scale player Avenir LNG along with Hoegh and Golar.
Stolt-Nielsen said on Thursday in its first-quarter report that the terminal in Sardinia should start operations in May.
Avenir LNG holds an 80 percent stake in the terminal developer Higas while the Italian engineering firm Gas and Heat, who is also the EPC contractor, has a 10 percent stake.
CPL Concordia also holds 10 percent share in the storage, regasification and distribution facility in the Port of Oristano.
Higas started building the $43.2 million terminal in Sardinia, first such facility in Italy, in 2018 and previously expected to launch it in the second half of 2019 but it pushed forward the start of commercial operations several times.
Gas and Heat said in an update last month it had fully completed the facility.
The terminal features six horizontal low-pressure cryogenic Type C tank storage tanks with a total capacity of 10,800 cbm but it will also have a dedicated 7,500-cbm Avenir LNG carrier.
It will load up to 8,000 LNG trucks per year – equivalent to 180,000 tons per year – via two loading bays.
Additionally, the LNG would mainly go for use as fuel for automotive, industrial, civil and marine industries.
The terminal will also have a connection to a natural gas pipeline system that will allow the fuel to be distributed to local industry.
Spain’s Reganosa will maintain and operate the terminal as part of a deal revealed in February.