LNG

Italian natural gas grid and LNG terminals operator SNAM reported an increase in annual revenues as LNG imports rose along with storage levels to cope with the European gas crisis.

The Italian Port of Piombino in northwest Italy, located opposite the island of Elba, is facing further delays to host one of two floating storage and regasification units purchased by Italy’s grid and LNG terminals operator SNAM.

An Italian administrative court has postponed to July 5 a decision over a case being pursued by local opponents of the Piombino FSRU.

SNAM has plans to deploy the 154,950 cubic metres capacity FSRU “Golar Tundra” at Piombina.

However, some members of Piombino's municipal administration filed a legal challenge in late 2022 against the government-backed project, part of Italy’s plan to support the European Union’s replacement of Russian pipeline gas with LNG deliveries from nations such as the US, Qatar, Algeria and Egypt.

The government-appointed commissioner for the FSRU project, Eugenio Giani, had previously issued a statement saying he hoped to have authorization from the local municipality by the end of October, 2022, though instead they raised a challenge.

Ideal FSRU site

Commissioner Giani has said that Piombina was an ideal site for an FSRU with its under-used jetty and nearby pipeline gas infrastructure connections.

He has noted that there was no other place in that region of Italy where there was a “substantially unused jetty of 300 metres in length” and pipeline links.

The Piombina FSRU and the second SNAM FSRU would be Italy’s fourth and fifth LNG import terminals after the onshore facility at Panigaglia near Genoa, another FSRU offshore the port of Livorno and the Adriatic LNG facility, an offshore gravity-based structure on the east coast.

The second SNAM FSRU is the 170,000 cubic metres capacity “BW Singapore”. The vessel was purchased by SNAM and is currently bound by a charter agreement with a third party until November 2023.

According to SNAM the “BW Singapore” could be deployed eventually in the upper Adriatic Sea, close to the Port of Ravenna where there is already a small-scale onshore LNG fuel terminal and other petroleum storage infrastructure.

Jan 20 (LNGJ) - Italy’s Societa Nazionale Metanodotti (National Pipeline Company), also known as SNAM, plans to invest €10 billion ($10.8Bln) in natural gas pipelines and LNG facilities in its revised budget through to 2026. SNAM said €6.3Bln would go on pipelines, including upgrading the Adriatic Line. A further €1.4Bln would be spent on two LNG floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) and €1.3Bln would go on expanding and upgrading gas storage sites.

   “Within a backdrop of extreme uncertainty and volatility, Snam has succeeded in guaranteeing maximum support to cope with the emergency, creating the basis for the necessary actions to tackle the near future,” said Stefano Venier, Chief Executive. “We will significantly increase investments compared to the past to strengthen our infrastructure and contribute to the country's greater energy security for the next few years and beyond,” added Venier.

Italy has approved two projects for floating LNG import terminals off the coast of Ravenna in the eastern Adriatic Sea and at the West Coast port of Piombino, opposite the island of Elba.

Italy has said that as part of its energy security strategy two floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) will be added to the three existing LNG import facilities.

The two new LNG terminals, both to be operated by Italy's state-controlled gas grid operator SNAM, will have a capacity of 5 billion cubic metres, covering around 15 percent of national annual gas consumption.

The FSRUs will be Italy’s fourth and fifth LNG import terminals after the onshore facility at Panigaglia near Genoa, another FSRU owned by OLT Offshore Toscana off the port of Livorno and the Adriatic LNG facility, an offshore gravity-based structure on the east coast.

The FSRU destined for Ravenna, the 170,000 cubic metres capacity “BW Singapore”, was purchased by SNAM and is currently bound by a charter agreement with a third party after which it will be deployed by the end of 2024.

SNAM Chief Executive Stefano Venier said that preparatory works would last two years with the Ravenna terminal expected to start operations in the fourth quarter of 2024.

“We have chosen Ravenna and Piombino both for the technical characteristics they offer us, but also because they're close to consumers,” stated Venier.

Italy is planning on the Piombino FSRU being operational by the end of March 2023.

The Piombino terminal will be in the form of the deployment of the 154,950 cubic metres capacity FSRU vessel “Golar Tundra”.

Ideal location

The port of Piombina was chosen because there was no other place in that region of Italy where there was a substantially unused jetty of 300 metres in length.

In addition the FSRU will be only 8.8 kilometres (5.5 miles) from the main SNAM gas network connections.

SNAM also officially ended its gas injection campaign at the end of October with the level of gas stocks managed by subsidiary Stogit reaching 95.2 percent for a total of 11.2 Bcm of natural gas in addition to the 4.5 Bcm held as strategic reserves.

The network operator added that the national energy system would also have access to an additional 1.1 Bcm held in the storage facilities of other operators.

“The supply of gas from storage will take place in the coming months on the basis of the guidelines soon to be issued by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security using transparent auction mechanisms,” added SNAM.

Italian energy major Eni, a global participant in LNG projects, said in its World Energy Review 2022 that natural gas prices were up in all markets, soaring 400 percent in Europe 300 percent in Asia and 90 percent in the US, including a marked uptick in the second half.

Oct 25 (LNGJ) - OLT Offshore LNG Toscana, the company controlled by Italian grid operator SNAM and Igneo Infrastructure Partners, has launched a consultation on proposed amendments to the regasification capacity rules concerning the floating storage and regasification unit, the “FSRU Toscana”, deployed off the Mediterranean port of Livorno.

   “From October 24, it is possible to consult the proposed amendment of the regasification code concerning the update of the procedures required to unload volumes of LNG exceeding 155,000 cubic metres and the duration of the financial guarantees required for continuous capacity,” said OLT Offshore. Other issues covered include the possibility of having quantities of gas involved in transactions traceable to biomethane production or as bio-LNG.

European classification society, DNV of Norway, said at Gastech in Milan that it had advised Italian natural gas grid and LNG terminal operator SNAM on its acquisition of two floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) from Golar LNG and BW Gas.

Italian oil and gas company and LNG project developer Eni said on July 11 that the Russian pipeline gas company Gazprom was further reducing its supplies.