September 1, 2023 [LNG Prime]- The 2010-built FSRU Cape Ann will soon arrive in France’s Le Havre to start serving the country’s first FSRU-based LNG import terminal, according to TotalEnergies.
TotalEnergies charters this 145,130-cbm vessel from Hoegh LNG, which has a 50 percent stake in Cape Ann and Japan’s MOL, which owns a 48.5 percent stake. Tokyo LNG Tanker holds a 1.5 percent share in the unit.
As previously reported, the FSRU departed China’s Tianijn LNG import terminal in the northern port city Tianjin near Beijing on March 30.
The vessel then sailed to a yard in Singapore and completed modifications and class renewal ahead of its job in France, Hoegh LNG said in its quarterly report.
Cape Ann arrived in Algericas, Spain earlier this month and was on Thursday morning still located there, its AIS data shows.
TotalEnergies LNG Services France (TELSF), a unit of TotalEnergies and operator of the Le Havre LNG terminal is progressing towards commissioning and start-up of the facility and the FSRU is scheduled to arrive in Le Havre by mid-September, a spokesperson for TotalEnergies told LNG Prime.
“The project is on track to start operations in September 2023 and will contribute to the security of gas supply in France and in Europe,” the spokesperson said.
New binding open season launched
TotalEnergies ran a non-binding call of interest from January 16 to 30 for up to 2.5 Bcm per year of capacity for a period of five years and said that demand expressed during the market test had “significantly exceeded” available capacity.
After that, TotalEnergies launched in March a binding open season for capacities at the FSRU-based facility.
The spokesperson said that a new binding open season started on August 28 to market available capacities from January 2024 to September 2028.
Deadline to submit binding capacities request is early October, the spokesperson added.
France currently hosts four onshore LNG terminals and these are Elengy’s three LNG terminals and the Dunkirk LNG facility.
The FSRU project in Le Havre will allow France to increase its regasification capacity by around 5 Bcm per year.
TotalEnergies previously said it plans to reserve about 50 percent of this capacity.
Besides the FSRU, Paris-based LNG engineering giant Technip Energies won a contract last year from TotalEnergies to provide a marine loading arm for the Le Havre facility.
TotalEnergies will operate the FSRU and GRTgaz will operate the connecting pipeline to the gas transmission network.
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