Yamal LNG Starts Using New Storage Tank
Novatek, the largest independent natural gas producer in Russia, started using a dedicated LNG transshipment tank at the Zeebrugge LNG terminal in Belgium.Novatek booked the tank’s capacity as part of a 20-year transshipment agreement between Yamal LNG’s unit Yamal Trade and Fluxys LNG.The dedicated LNG tank was built specifically for the transshipment needs of Yamal LNG with a capacity of 180,000 cubic meters, allowing the Project to transship up to 8 million tons of LNG per annum.“The LNG tank construction for Yamal LNG began in Zeebrugge in 2015 and its commissioning is a key milestone for the Project…
Belgium Players Join Forces Hydrogen Transportation
The climate target to reduce CO2 emissions in Belgium by 80% by 2050 compared to 2005 levels is a major challenge. Hydrogen has an important role to play in the mix of solutions to achieve results.That is why Deme, Engie, Exmar, Fluxys, Port of Antwerp, Port of Zeebrugge and WaterstofNet are joining forces. A joint study serves as a basis to coordinate delivery of concrete projects that shape the production, transport and storage of hydrogen.In a hydrogen economy, hydrogen is an important carrier for renewable energy to be used for electricity and heat production…
Fluxys Sign LNG Contract with Qatar
Qatar Petroleum subsidiary Qatar Terminal Limited (QTL) and Fluxys Belgium subsidiary Fluxys LNG signed a long-term LNG Services Agreement for the Zeebrugge LNG terminal.Under the agreement, QTL subscribes unloading slots at the facility from the expiry of the current long-term unloading contracts and up to 2044.The agreement was signed during a ceremony held in Brussels today by Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, and Pascal De Buck, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Fluxys Belgium…
Titan LNG, Fluxys to Build FlexFueler 002
Belgium-based natural gas transmission system operator Fluxys and Netherlands-based Titan LNG have joined forces to build the FlexFueler 002, a bunkering pontoon to make liquefied natural gas (LNG) more widely available as shipping fuel in the Antwerp port and region.Shipyard Kooiman, Zwijndrecht, The Netherlands, was contracted to build the FlexFueler 002. The pontoon, which is scheduled to be commissioned by mid-2020, will measure 76.4 x 11.45 m and is equipped with four vacuum insulated type C cargo tanks of 370 cu. m. each, to carry liquid LNG. The pontoon is not self propelled but for assistance in maneuvering a bow thruster is installed.
Snam, Enagás, Fluxys Complete DESFA Acquisition
The consortium consisting Italy’s Snam, Spain’s Enagás and Belgium’s Fluxys has completed the acquisition of a 66 percent stake in Greek natural gas operator DESFA.According to a joint release, the purchase valued at €535 million ($613.9 million) has been completed with the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) and Hellenic Petroleum.The consortium, which won the tender for the privatisation of DESFA in April 2018, has closed the purchase through the new company Senfluga Energy Infrastructure Holdings. The consortium has obtained financing without recourse for more than 10 years…
Novatek, Fluxys to Build German LNG Terminal
Russian gas producer Novatek and Belgium's Fluxys joint venture Rostock LNG GmbH has signed a Land Lease Agreement with the Port of Rostock with a view to building and operating a mid-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage terminal in the port.The envisaged facility is to unlock LNG as a low emission alternative for heavy fuel oil, diesel and LPG in North and Central Europe and the Baltic Sea area.The joint venture (Novatek 49% - Fluxys 51%) intends to build and operate a terminal for receiving and unloading mid-scale LNG carriers,…
Fluxys to Add a Permanent LNG Bunkering Facility in Antwerp
Fluxys has taken over the concession in the port of Antwerp at quay 526-528 to make liquefied natural gas (LNG) available as an alternative fuel for ships and barges, in one of the Port Authority's key initiatives to make the port's activities more sustainable. Fluxys will add a permanent LNG bunkering facility by the end of next year to complement the existing mobile (truck-to-ship) bunkering service. For ships and heavy duty trucks LNG is the ideal alternative in the transition to lower greenhouse gas emissions and better air quality.
Greece Gets Two Binding Bids in Gas Grid Sale
Greece has received two binding bids for a 66 percent stake in its gas grid operator DESFA, whose privatisation is a key term of its international bailout, the Greek privatisation agency (HRADF) said on Friday. Bids were submitted by a consortium of Italy's Snam , Spain's Enagas Internacional and Belgium's Fluxys, and a consortium of Spain's Regasificadora del Noroeste (Reganosa), Romania's Transgaz and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Sources had earlier told Reuters that two consortia submitted bids for the stake.
Greece Sets Deadline for DESFA Gas Grid Sale
Greece's privatisation agency (HRADF) has pushed back to Feb. 16 the deadline to submit binding offers for a 66 percent stake in natural gas grid operator DESFA, sources close to the process said on Wednesday. Interested investors had sought an extension from a previous Dec. 22 deadline, expecting HRADF to give them a new date in February. One of the sources said HRADF set the date at a board meeting last month. HRADF had earlier identified the two investor groups qualified to proceed to the next phase of the tender and the submission of binding bids as Spain's Regasificadora del Noroeste (Reganosa) and a consortium of Italy's Snam…
TAP Pipeline Appoints New Country Manager for Greece
Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the end piece of the $40 billion Southern Gas Corridor, has appointed a new country manager for Greece, it said on Wednesday. TAP, which will bring Azeri gas into Europe by 2020 via Greece and Albania, said Katerina Papalexandri will take over from Rikard Scoufias on Sept. 1. Papalexandri previously worked for BP, where she has held numerous senior positions since 1998, including senior commercial manager for the Southern Gas Corridor. BP holds a 20 percent stake in TAP. Azerbaijan's SOCAR, Italy's Snam, Belgium's Fluxys, Spain's Enagas and Axpo are the remaining stakeholders. Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou
Snam Lifts Spending to Boost Profit
Italian gas company Snam expects to grow net profit by 4 percent each year over the next five years, boosted by cost savings and increased investment in its latest plan. Europe's biggest gas pipeline operator said it would spend five billion euros ($5.30 billion) in the period to 2021, nearly all to upgrade its domestic grid and improve connections with Europe, including the Trans Adriatic Pipeline bringing Azeri gas to Italy in 2020. Snam, which makes most of its revenue from gas transport, is looking to play a leading role in integrating Europe's grids and making Italy a European gas hub.
Gazprom eyes Rival TAP Pipeline
TAP aims to reduce EU dependence on Russian gas, but Gazprom could gain access via open auction. Gazprom's bid to tap into a pipeline meant to wean Europe off Russian gas threatens to undermine a pillar of European energy policy and slow plans to develop rival deposits in the east Mediterranean. As the European Union struggles against the "iron embrace" of Russian pipelines, it has made opening a new Southern Gas Corridor to carry gas from Azerbaijan by 2020 a priority. The 10 billion cubic metre (bcm)-capacity Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is the project's end piece…
Europe Gas Terminal Group Sees Transport Use for LNG
European operators of large and underused liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal capacity bet on new uses for their product in ships and vehicles to absorb future arrivals from the global market, the group's president Wim Groenendijk said on Tuesday. While terminals only ran at a fifth of their capacity last year, GLE expects the EU bloc's green drive will help make them busier and absorb a wave of LNG from new origins such as the United States in coming years. The European Commission has started to acknowledge that gas has a bigger role to play in decarbonisation, Groenendijk said on the sidelines of a conference.
Snam Working on Refinancing as Part of Italgas Spinoff
Italy's Snam, one of Europe's biggest gas pipeline operators, is looking to lift about 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) off its balance sheet as part of plans to spin off its domestic gas business, sources familiar with the matter said. In a refinancing to be carried out by a dozen or so banks, the debt would end up with Snam's Italgas unit, which will be spun off by distributing Italgas shares to Snam investors and listing them, six sources familiar with the refinancing said. That would leave Snam more focused on its goal of becoming a prime mover in integrating Europe's patchwork of grids and making Italy a European gas hub…
Greece, Partners Sign off Trans-Adriatic Pipeline to Widen Gas Supply
Five countries in south-east Europe formally signed off on the construction of a pipeline which will transport Caspian gas to European markets in an attempt to ease their reliance on Russia. The 870-km (540-mile) Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is part of the so-called "Southern Corridor" that will link Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz II field with Italy, crossing through Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea. It is the largest endeavour to bring new supply sources to European consumers. "The energy map of south-east Europe is being redefined and this turns Greece into an energy hub of the region…
Global LNG Prices Dip with Tender Transaction Levels
Asian spot prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) slipped this week in line with transaction levels in a string of recently awarded tenders. LNG for May delivery in Asia traded at around $4.30 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), compared with $4.50 per mmBtu last week. Tenders in Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Argentina and Papua New Guinea were mostly awarded at prices in the low- to mid-$4 per mmBtu range this week, sources said. Argentina secured supply from multiple companies following the closure of its 19-cargo buy tender on Tuesday, although their names could not be confirmed.
Bidders Emerge for Thyssengas
Thyssengas enterprise value seen at 500-550 mln euros. Macquarie-owned German gas grid Thyssengas is attracting interest from several infrastructure funds and financial investors, two people familiar with the matter said, adding bidders had until after Easter to submit indicative offers. "The level of interest is huge, there's a run on regulated energy infrastructure," one of the people said, adding due diligence, which gives potential buyers access to the target's books and data, was expected to start in mid-April. Power and gas grids are among the most sought-after infrastructure assets…
Azerbaijan Expects to Secure TAP Gas Pipeline Finance in April
Azerbaijan expects to secure in April full financing for the Trans Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP), seen as an alternative for Russian gas supplies to Europe, Azeri Energy Minister Natig Aliyev said on Monday. The Southern Gas Corridor project, of which TAP is a part, is expected to cost around $45 billion. "The talks are under way. The issues of TAP financing will be completely solved on April 28," Aliyev told reporters, declining to say why that exact date was chosen. TAP's shareholders are BP, Azeri state company SOCAR, Snam, Fluxys, Enagas and Axpo .
Investors Line Up for OMV's Gas Grid Gas Connect Austria
Gas Connect Austria, the pipeline unit of Austrian energy group OMV, has drawn interest from several parties ahead of an auction that could value the asset at up to 750 million euros ($845 million), three people familiar with the deal said. The sales process, which the sources said was organised by Citi, is expected to start in March and comes after OMV in October said interest for the up to 49 percent stake in the unit was "strong", adding it expected a deal this year. Parties expected to participate in the auction include a consortium of German insurer Allianz and Borealis Infrastructure, which is part of Canadian pension fund OMERS.
Gazprom, Global Gas Address Energy Sector Issues
As part of the 5th St. Petersburg International Gas Forum, a working meeting took place today between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Rene Bautz, Chairman of the Global Gas Center (GGC). The Global Gas Center (GGC) is a non-profit organization uniting such gas majors as ENGIE, Gaznat, OMV, Fluxys, NIGC and the World Energy Council (WEC). The parties addressed pressing issues of the energy sector. Special attention was given to actions promoting natural gas use as the most eco-friendly and energy-saving fossil fuel. The meeting noted that natural gas would be a vital element of the European energy mix.
