LNG

Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), the association representing the interests of European Union gas infrastructure operators in gas transmission, storage and liquefied natural gas, said the flow of LNG to European terminals hit its lowest since December 2021.

The GIE, which is based in Brussels and represents 70 member companies from 26 countries, provided the information from its gas grid data.

LNG supplies from the main terminals in the EU in nations such as Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Germany plunged in May 2024.

The decline in regasified LNG flowing into gas grids dropped by a quarter to around 6.75 million tonnes.

Regasified LNG flows were also down by 13 percent compard with April 2024.

Total LNG supplies from terminals to Europe’s gas pipeline system was also lower in the January to May period 2024.

More FSRUs 

The decreased regasified LNG volumes were logged even as the EU had more terminals in operation as floating facilities came on line in Italy and Germany.

The total for the year to date though May fell by 10 percent compared with the first five months of last year to reached around 37.5MT.

Another body in the EU, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG), said that by the end of May the share of LNG was still the largest among sources of gas supply to Europe in 2024, standing at 32 percent.

Thus compared the 28 percent of gas provided from the Norwegian Continental Shelf and another 18 percent that came from gas storage facilities.

Other sources of gas received in Europe included 10 percent recived by pipleines from Algeria.

The Algerian volumes were delivered directly to Spain or via Tunisia to Italy by way of Sicily.

The share of gas supplies from Russia and volumes via Ukraine came to 9.5 percent.

Another 2.5 percent of European gas volumes originated from the UK North Sea.

The US remained the largest supplier of LNG to import terminals in EU and the UK followed by Qatar.

May 28 (LNGJ) - Two LNG carriers carrying Russian cargoes have entered the North Sea to discharge volumes at West European regasification terminals. The tanker “Nikolay Yevgenov” with 172,600 cubic metres of capacity lifted a cargo on May 23 from the Russian Yamal plant in Northern Siberia.

   The Cypriot-flagged vessel “Fedor Litke” with 177,000 cubic metres capacity was also heading for a regional terminal with a shipment loaded on May 24 at the Yamal facility, according to shipping data. A third carrier, the 172,000 cubic metres capacity “Yakov Gakkel”, was heading back to the Russian LNG export plant at Sabetta after delivering a cargo to the French import terminal in Dunkirk.

The European Union reduced imports of pipeline gas from Russia five-fold in 2023, while its purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas cargoes increased by around 38 percent from the Novatek-operated Yamal export plant in Northern Siberia and could rise further in 2024.

Svanehøj France, the tank control systems business, has been awarded contracts to update safety systems at the established Dabhol LNG import terminal on the West Coast of India and at the French Fos Cavaou LNG facility located east of Marseilles.

Svanehøj's tanks business has a long and distinguished track record since it was established at the French Channel port of Calais in 1961 under the banner of the UK engineering company Whessoe plc. 

At the time the company equipped its first gas carriers in the 1970s and its first LNG storage tank in 1983. 

It was also the first company to provide a level, temperature, and density (LTD) gauge for floating storage and it was part of Finland’s Wärtsilä from 2006 until it was acquired by Denmark’s Svanehøj in 2022.

Svanehøj France now develops technologies that enhance the safety of LNG, liquefied petroleum gas and cryogenic and refrigerated storageon sea and land.

Safety and control

“Svanehøj's instrumentation and software solutions are installed to ensure that all hazardous aspects related to liquified gas storage are known and controllable,” the company said.

“The systems proactively measure possible development or creation of stratification by monitoring the tanks. The product range includes tank level and density gauges, temperature transmitters, and control systems that operate accurately under cryogenic conditions,” the company added.

Svanehøj France noted that as time progresses, ageing machinery becomes obsolete, prompting the recognition of the importance of upgrading safety instrumentation. 

In response, the Dabhol terminal owned by the Konkan LNG subsidiary of GAIL India and the Fos Cavaou terminal operated by France’s Elengy, a unit of GRTgaz within the utility and energy group Engie, partnered with Svanehøj France to renew the safety instrumentation for a combined three LNG tanks.

“We are reconnecting with liquefied gas terminals worldwide and have learnt that some could be in better shape,” said Simon Dufour, an executive at Svanehøj France.

“Some only need spare parts, but some need new instrumentation installed. Without new instrumentation, it can result in dangerous situations and end up shutting downoperations,” Dufour explained.

Contract scopes

The company said that the Fos Cavaou LNG terminal has already successfully retrofitted one tank with a new densitometer, replacing previous systems and improving functionality and reliability. 

“Encouraged by this accomplishment and the cooperation with Svanehøj, Fos Cavaou plans to simultaneously replace the densitometers in the remaining two tanks with delivery of instrumentation in October,” said Svanehøj France.

Konkan LNG in India has embarked on a comprehensive plan to upgrade the Dabhol terminal with Svanehøj's valuable experience in safety instrumentation for LNG storage being leveraged. 

“The project encompasses replacing various components while retaining the existing temperature probes, guaranteeing qualitative safety measures,” Dufour said.

“As part of the upgrade, we will install three advanced servo-driven tank gauging systems, the LTs, to improve reliability and efficiency. An LTD tank gauging system and two data acquisition systems will also be delivered,” he added.

North Asian spot cargo prices increased on the week though the differential remained at almost $10 in favour of the Dutch Title Transfer Facility European Union benchmark price as net withdrawals from EU gas storage increased because of sub-zero temperatures in the region.

GRTgaz, the French gas grid company with three liquefied natural gas import terminals under its control, began transporting pipeline gas to Germany after reversing the normal flow on the only link between the two nations and since then European Union day-ahead spot gas prices have dropped, though other influences have been at play.

The Fluxys Belgium Group, the operator of the Zeebrugge LNG terminal and the Belgian gas grid, increased turnover and net profits as the company explained how the invasion of Ukraine by Russia had “dramatically changed the dynamics of the gas markets and the direction of gas flows” in Europe.

Sept 26 (LNGJ)- Fluxys, the owner of the Belgian gas grid and holder of stakes in LNG terminals at Zeebrugge in Belgium and Dunkirk in France, said a new shareholder, Swiss-based Energy Infrastructure Partners (EIP), had acquired the 19.85 percent of shares in Fluxys previously held by a Canadian institutional investor, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).

   “The equity transfer is expected to be completed by the end of 2022,” said Fluxys, without disclosing the value of the deal. Daniël Termont, President of Fluxys and representative of the main Fluxys shareholder, Publigas, said he was pleased with the transaction. “Together with CDPQ, Publigas has sailed a forward-looking course with Fluxys for more than 10 years and we have built up a highly valued partnership,” added Termont.

Sept 13 (LNG) - The 173,400 cubic metres capacity carrier “Maran Gas Chios” was scheduled to berth on September 13 at the French LNG import terminal at the Channel port of Dunkirk with a cargo from the Caribbean nation of Trinidad & Tobago, according to shipping data. The vessel lifted the cargo on September 2 from the Point Fortin facility in Trinidad.

   The cargo was arriving in France as the European benchmark Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) wholesale gas price was declining from more elevated levels to around the equivalent of $56.55 per million British thermal units. The spot day-ahead French PEG market price on the European Energy Exchange was at around the equivalent of $40.05 per MMBtu.

The French government outlined its plans to take full control of the utility EDF whose assets include gas-fired power and nuclear plants as well as LNG volumes and trading, mostly now handled by JERA Co. Inc. of Japan under a joint venture.