January 23, 2012 [Reuters] - Lithuania took a step towards less dependence on Russian gas by deciding on Monday to pick Norway's Hoegh LNG to provide an offshore platform for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.
Majority state-owned oil terminal Klaipedos Nafta said in a statement that it chose Hoegh to supply a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU), and that operations were expected to start at the end of 2014. A FSRU is cheaper and faster to build than a fixed LNG terminal on land.
Klaipedos Nafta said that the FSRU had been ordered in South Korea and will have a capacity of 170,000 cubic meters of LNG. “We can supply about 11 million tonnes of gas per day, which is about the amount Lithuania consumes at a winter day,” said Rokas Masiulis, general manager of Klaipedos Nafta.”That means that we would be able to meet the demand if Gazprom halts all gas supplies,” he added. The contract, which is to be signed in February, would be based on a 10 years leasing period after which Klaipedos Nafta will have the right to purchase the FSRU, Klaipedos said.
