The TotalEnergies project has been selected by the public authorities as a new import point for liquefied natural gas.
The public authorities have selected the TotalEnergies floating LNG terminal project as a new import point for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Le Havre, AFP learned from the Seine-Maritime prefecture on Friday. It is one of two FSRU (floating regasification unit) vessels of the group “which will allow the injection of up to 5 billion m3 of natural gas (about 60% of Russian gas imported by France in 2021) per year into the national network” and should start its activity in September 2023, could we read in the press release.
“Provisional project”
The power struggle between Moscow and the West since the start of the conflict in Ukraine has led to a crisis in the supply of natural gas throughout Europe. France is currently supplied by four port LNG import terminals (2 at Fos-sur-Mer, 1 at Montoir de Bretagne, and 1 at Dunkirk) and wanted to secure this supply with a new terminal.
Moored in the port of Le Havre, the vessel “Cape Ann” will be able to inject “about 10% of annual French consumption” according to the prefecture, from LNG carriers which will supply it with gas from “possibly from Norway, Algeria, Qatar, the United States, Nigeria, Angola, or even Egypt”.
Read alsoDiscount at the pump at TotalEnergies: concern for other service stations
The quay development and connection works carried out by TotalEnergies and GRTgaz are expected to begin in the fall of 2022 for this “provisional project” which will “intended to be dismantled when supply tensions have been overcome”. Safety and security risk assessment studies are “nearing completion” according to the prefect who is instructing a so-called file of “case by case”.