September 28, 2023 [LNG Prime]- Greece’s DESFA is offering long-term regasification capacity at its LNG import terminal located on the island of Revithoussa.
In that regard, the firm controlled by a consortium led by Italy’s Snam is launching LNG capacity allocation auctions for a period of up to 15 years.
According to DESFA, annual LNG scheduling auctions for the period 2024-2038 will begin on Monday, October 9, following the approval of the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy, and Water (RAWEW).
Also, DESFA will hold an online workshop on Tuesday, October 3, to ensure “all interested users are well-prepared and informed, covering all critical parameters of the LNG auctions process,” it said.
The natural gas transmission system operator did not provide any additional information.
Earlier this year, DESFA said that seven users reserved all of the available regasification slots in 2023 at the LNG import terminal.
DESFA said that 4 domestic and 3 foreign users booked 43 slots for the unloading of 36 TWh of LNG this year.
The reserved capacity for 2023 corresponds to 80 percent of the maximum regasification capacity of the terminal.
Besides the 2023 slots, 5 domestic and 3 international users reserved 40 of the 45 available slots in 2024 in order to unload a quantity of 32.5 TWh, according to DESFA.
In addition, 5 domestic and 1 foreign user reserved 30 of the total 45 offered slots for the unloading of 25.5 TWh in 2025, while 3 domestic and 1 foreign user reserved 21 out of the 45 offered slots for the unloading of 16.5 TWh in 2026.
For the year 2027, 1 domestic and 1 foreign user reserved 21 of the total 45 offered slots for a total amount of 17 TWh, DESFA previously said.
Greek LNG imports rise
LNG deliveries to Greece’s Revithoussa terminal rose 4.1 percent in the January-June period of this year, and the US remains the biggest supplier to Greece.
The shipments in the first half totaled 17.3 TWh, or 26 tankers. This compares to 16.61 TWh in the first half of the last year.
Revithoussa is currently the only LNG import facility in Greece, but the country’s first FSRU-based facility with a capacity of 5 Bcm is also nearing the launch of operations.
Seatrium’s yard in Singapore is finalizing the conversion work on the 153,600-cbm FSRU that will serve Gastrade’s FSRU-based LNG import project in Greece’s Alexandroupolis.
LNG shipping firm GasLog told Keppel Offshore & Marine, now Seatrium, in February last year to proceed with the conversion of the 2010-built, GasLog Chelsea, to an FSRU.
GasLog will sell this unit to Gastrade for about $265 million.
Gastrade took the final investment decision on the project worth 363.7 million euros ($382 million) in January last year and officially started construction in May the same year.
Gastrade’s shareholders include Copelouzou, DESFA, DEPA, GasLog, and Bulgartransgaz.
Greece’s first FSRU will connect to the gas grid via a 28 km long pipeline, which includes offshore and onshore sections, to supply the markets of Greece, Bulgaria, and the wider region.
Also, Gastrade is planning to install a second FSRU offshore Alexandroupolis.
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