Authorities in Finland have started operations at the first LNG terminal in the country, adding new truck loading capacity and boosting the regional transmission network.
The small-scale Hamina terminal offers storage capacity of 30,000 cubic metres and joint venture operator Hamina LNG also provides a range of onward LNG connectivity services.
“Commissioning of [the] terminal has been completed and Hamina LNG has started to provide services to terminal users,” a spokesperson for Hamina LNG commented, adding that “the cooldown procedure and commissioning tests of the systems and equipment were all successful.”
LNG truck loading
The Hamina LNG terminal provides onsite regasification and injection systems, delivering daily capacity of up to 4,800 MWh into the Finnish gas transmission network. Alongside this vital role, the new facility also offers LNG truck loading, vessel unloading and loading, and vessel bunkering.
“The LNG Terminal involves many expectations from various parties: shareholders, financiers and also future clients,” Tuula Liukko, CEO of Hamina LNG, said, noting that the “the project carries great importance in the current challenging situation in society and the energy market.”
The first LNG import terminal in Finland the new site has been under development since 2015. Backed by the Finnish state, Hamina LNG is a joint venture between local energy provider Haminan Energia and Estonian energy company Alexela.
“Enhancing sustainable transport has always mattered to us. It is clear that today, as climate problems are affecting hundreds of millions of people across the globe, companies and individuals must find possibilities for reducing their environmental footprint,” Aivo Adamson, CEO of Alexela, said.
Key energy security role
Initial funding for the Hamina LNG terminal was provided via a €27.7 million investment subsidy from the Finnish government in 2014.
“The challenges that have faced the world, including the energy industry, cause uncertainty and changes also to the future of Hamina LNG,” Kalevi Mattila, Chairman of the Board of Hamina LNG, said. “The terminal will have a key role in Finland in terms of security of supply, delivery reliability and price stability.”
As well as reinforcing the local gas network and boosting LNG fuelling infrastructure via truck shipments, the new terminal will also support energy security in the wider region via deliveries through the Balticconnector.
