LNG

April 15 (LNGJ) - Gasunie, the Dutch utility and LNG terminals owner, said it was concluding new 10-year framework agreements with a selection of six contractors for the maintenance and management of existing natural gas pipelines and the construction of new pipelines for hydrogen, green gas and carbon-dioxide. “The energy transition leads to many new projects, where maintenance of existing infrastructure also remains crucial. The agreement includes maximum investments of around €4 billion ($4.25Bln) spread over a period of 10 years,” Gasunie explained.

   Janneke Hermes, Chief Financial Officer of Gasunie, said the agreement included “a new working method” that focuses on strategic partnership in the light of the energy transition. “We will invest large-scale in our core activity, the transport of energy, in the coming years,” Hermes added. “The focus of the investments is on maintaining a safe and reliable gas network,” she stated.

Dec 1 (LNGJ) - Royal Vopak, the world’s leading independent tank storage company, has completed the acquisition of a 50 percent shareholding in the second LNG import facility in the Netherlands, located at Eemshaven in Groningen. The facility was launched in September 2022 by Dutch utility Gasunie, Vopak’s partner in the Rotterdam LNG terminal. “Gasunie and Vopak are working to increase the capacity further towards 10 billion cubic metres (from 8 Bcm per year), highlighting the commitment of the partners to jointly develop and operate open-access LNG infrastructure and contribute to the energy security of Europe,” said Vopak.

   The total investment by Vopak to acquire the 50 percent of the EemsEnergy Terminal company is just above €80 million ($87.4M). Vopak has also completed the sale of its three chemical terminals in Rotterdam, the Botlek, TTR and Chemiehaven facilities, to Infracapital for a total purchase price of €407M. “Total cash receipt net of transaction costs and net debt items at closing is €372M,” the company said.

 Sept 19 (LNGJ) - Royal Vopak, the Dutch global storage company and LNG sector participant, has reached agreement with Infracapital on the sale of Vopak chemical terminals in Rotterdam. Vopak, whose latest LNG investment was taking a 50 percent stake in the Dutch Eemshaven terminal in Groningen with utility Gasunie, said it reached an agreement with Infracapital on the sale of its three chemical terminals in Rotterdam, the Botlek, TTR and Chemiehaven facilities for a total price of €407 million ($434M).

   Infracapital, an equity investment arm of M&G Plc of the UK, is a specialist European infrastructure investor and has a track record of owning assets in the Netherlands. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close before the year-end. “Although within Vopak we will surely miss our colleagues at the chemical terminals in Rotterdam, we are convinced that our customers and colleagues will be well served by partnering with Infracapital who is a long-term and an experienced infrastructure investor,” said Patrick van der Voort, Vopak’s Business Unit President.

The South American nation of Colombia is making moves to import more liquefied national gas at the floating LNG terminal at the port of Cartagena to supply the country's main thermal plants to deal with the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Belgian shipping company Exmar, which chartered a regasification barge to the Netherlands and sold a floating LNG production vessel to Italy’s Eni for deployment in Africa, said the takeover process had begun involving Saverex NV, the holding company of the family of Exmar Executive Chairman Nicolas Saverys.

The Dutch Gate LNG import terminal in Rotterdam said that UK major BP and a subsidiary of Chinese major PetroChina would each separately acquire 2 million cubic metres per annum of regasification and corresponding storage capacity as part of the expansion plans of the facility in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands said that almost a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, the country had virtually stopped importing energy from Russia, though received about the same amount of Russian LNG in 2022 than in the previous year and was looking at setting up new LNG import terminals and joint purchasing global cargoes with the European Union.

Feb 7 (LNGJ) - Royal Vopak, the energy and LNG storage and terminals company, has acquired the shares of Gunvor Petroleum Antwerp from commodities trading group   Gunvor, giving it access to the Gunvor concession in the Belgian port of Antwerp to develop an energy hub. “Vopak is committed to sustainably redeveloping the site. together with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges,” said Vopak.

   The site is some 105 hectares in size and offers deep-sea, river, road and rail access, as well as pipeline connections to Northwest Europe. “Vopak will reconfigure the concession with the primary aim of making a positive contribution to the decarbonisation of the industrial cluster on the Antwerp port platform,” added the Dutch company. “The Port of Antwerp-Bruges and Vopak will continue their discussions to structure their common strategic ambition, which is to jointly develop a new green energy hub,” said Vopak.

The South American nation of Colombia is making moves to import more liquefied national gas as the floating LNG terminal at the port of Cartagena has revealed expansion plans.

The terminal is a joint venture between Colombia’s Promigas and Dutch global energy storage giant Royal Dutch Vopak and is called SPEC LNG from its formal name, Sociedad Portuaria El Cayao.

SPEC LNG said it was now inviting expressions of interest from market participants for potential regasification services.

The Colombian floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) is one of the original wave of FSRUs deployed in South America.

Cartagena is in the far northeast of the country on the Caribbean Sea and the terminal has been operational since December 2016.

SPEC LNG pointed out that the facility is Colombia’s main connection to international LNG markets and supports 2,000 megawatts of gas-fired power generation, about 60 percent of Colombia's gas-fired electricity capacity.

Gas security move

SPEC LNG said it was taking measures to address a potential shortage of natural gas supply in Colombia.

“Expansion plans consist of increasing its regasification capacity from 400 million cubic feet per day to 450 million cubic feet per day by the end of 2023 and up to a total of 530 mmscf per day as of the second half of 2026,” explained the company.

“This market test aims to assess demand from market participants´ for the potential additional capacity ahead of a final investment decision,” added SPEC.

The aim of the expansion is to ensure both medium-term and long-term supply of natural gas in Colombia as part of its energy transition measures.

“Considering the latest natural gas supply and demand projections in Colombia, the expansion of the capacity of our LNG import terminal is an efficient and competitive option to ensure the supply of natural gas to the market,” said Jose M. Castro, Managing Director of SPEC.

“As a result, this market test will help us advance to the next stages of the project before the FID,” he stated.

Vopak LNG interests

Dutch company Vopak’s most high-profile LNG investment is its 50 percent stake in the Gate LNG terminal in Rotterdam

Its involvement with SPEC LNG is through its 49 percent shareholding in the project with 170,000 cubic metres of capacity.

It also holds 60 percent of the Mexican Altamira import terminal on the Gulf of Mexico.

Vopak’s other LNG interests include its 44 percent stake in the 150,000 cubic metres capacity Engro Elengy terminal in Pakistan.

Sept 28 (LNGJ) – LNG cargoes are heading for ports in the UK and the Netherlands. The 174,000 cubic metres vessel “LNG Enterprise” is scheduled to unload a US shipment on September 29 at the UK Isle of Grain terminal, operated by National Grid, and located southeast of London on the Medway River estuary. The cargo was lifted from Cameron LNG in Louisiana on September 15, according to shipping data.

   An LNG cargo from the Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana, lifted on September 13, is scheduled for delivery on September 29 to the Dutch Gate terminal in Rotterdam onboard the 177,000 cubic metres capacity carrier “LNG Rosenrot”.