LNG

March 5 (LNGJ) – Russian cargoes are heading for Belgium while France is receiving a US shipment. A cargo was being discharged on March 5 by the “LNGships Empress” vessel with 174,250 cubic metres capacity at the Montoir-de-Bretagne import terminal in Western France, according to shipping data. The cargo was lifted on February 19 from the Sabine Pass export plant in Louisiana operated by Cheniere Energy.

   Two Russian cargoes are scheduled to arrive this week at the Belgian terminal at Zeebrugge. The “Nikolay Zubov” with 173,000 cubic metres of capacity loaded a cargo at the port of Sabetta on the Yamal Peninsula on February 29. Another delivery for Zeebrugge is on the “Vladimir Vize” with 172,6000 cubic metres capacity. That cargo was lifted at Sabetta on March 2.

The French port of Le Havre has again become a liquefied natural gas importation point for the first time since the 1980s as commissioning activities were starting for the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) “Cape Ann” after its safe arrival in the face of protests.

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.

GRTgaz, the French natural gas transmission company with three liquefied natural gas import terminals under its control, said LNG would help it through the winter season and was working on reversing flows to Germany following the cut-off of pipeline supplies from Russia to the European Union.

France is moving ahead with its fifth LNG import terminal with a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) being deployed at the port of Le Havre on the northeast coast of Normandy where there had previously been an onshore facility that handled deliveries of LNG from Algeria for Gaz de France.

GRTgaz, the French natural gas transmission company with three liquefied natural gas import terminals under its control through subsidiary Elengy, said it had seen a shortfall in Russian supplies and this was being offset with LNG cargoes and additional pipeline flows from Norway.

“We are not currently experiencing any difficulties in supplying or transporting gas over the French network,” said GRTGaz.

“Onshore gas inputs from northeast France, the location at which Russian pipeline gas arrives in the country, are continuing, but at levels below those seen in previous years,” explained the company, headquartered at Bois-Colombes in the northwest suburbs of Paris.

“This decrease is being offset by sustained supplies of LNG, as well as pipeline gas supplies from Norway,” stated GRTGaz.

The company noted that the European Union natural gas market was potentially fast-changing and GRTGaz was making sure that it had solutions for all eventualities.

“As France's main gas transport operator, GRTgaz is part of the system in place to ensure a secure supply,” explained the company.

“As such, it works closely alongside the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, supervising the situation,” it added.

Emergency options

GRTGaz was also working with other French and European gas infrastructure companies, under the supervision of the public authorities, on developing solutions should Russian gas supplies cease.

“We aim to be able to maintain our storage levels over the forthcoming months and provide consumers with gas until next winter,” it stated.

“We are also working with those of our clients who might find themselves affected, ensuring that the measures in place in the event of load-shedding for consumers on the transport and distribution networks being required are properly shared. These measures would only be applicable as a last resort,” declared GRTGaz.

GRTgaz said in its annual review that terminal subsidiary Elengy received 176 LNG cargoes in 2021 at the three terminals in Western and Southern France at Montoir-de-Bretagne, Fos Tonkin and Fos Cavaou. France's fourth import terminal is at the Channel port of Dunkirk.

The terminals also handled six cargo re-loadings, 10 trans-shipments and 14,715 tanker truck LNG loadings during the year.

GRTgaz ensures the pipeline transportation of gas throughout France, though in the southwest the grid is run by regional network company Teréga.

GRTgaz had been receiving fewer transits last year, whether to Spain, which benefited from very sustained supplies from Algeria or to Switzerland (and Italy), which benefited from the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline carrying natural gas from Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea to southern Italy.

Large network

GRTgaz is the EU’s second-largest European natural gas transporter after Italy with 32,500 kilometres of pipelines and 640 terawatt hours of gas transported in 2021.

The Italian natural gas pipeline network is almost 50,000km in length.

The other GRTgaz subsidiaries include GRTgaz Deutschland, operator of the German MEGAL transmission network.

The MEGAL pipeline system is 1,160km in length and runs from the German-French border at Medelsheim via the Czech Republic's border point with Germany at Waidhaus to the bi-directional cross-border point at the German-Austrian border in Oberkappel.

The MEGAL pipeline system consists of two pipelines: the MEGAL Nord (North) pipeline and the MEGAL Süd (South) pipeline.

Dec 21 (LNGJ) – The European Union is currently relying on LNG supplies from Russia and Nigeria to boost natural gas levels over the Christmas holiday season. The 172,000 cubic metres capacity carrier “Boris Davidov” is scheduled to deliver a Russian cargo on December 24 to the French Montoir-de-Bretagne import terminal on the Atlantic Coast from the Yamal plant in northern Siberia, according to shipping data. The 148,470 cubic metres capacity “LNG Lokoja” was set to deliver a shipment on December 27 to the Sines import terminal in Portugal from the Nigeria LNG plant.

GRTgaz, the French natural gas network operator and owner of LNG import terminals, has issued a report on gas flows and imports and exports during the Covid-19 crisis and the evolution of consumption and demand as gas-fired power stations begin to restart.

GRTgaz, the French natural gas network operator and owner of LNG import terminals, said there had been a “massive” return of the fuel to Europe and France in the past year as it revealed plans to move LNG by rail to increase availability in Eastern France.

The French Atlantic Coast Montoir-de-Bretagne LNG import terminal said its call for capacity subscriptions currently ongoing will enter its final binding phase in October 2019.