The LNG terminal already floating in Eemshaven this summer

The floating LNG installation is still in Singapore. It will be flown to the Netherlands in May.

The second terminal

The terminal, named S188, is owned by Belgian shipping company Exmar and has been leased for five years. Gasunie’s spokesman did not want to release the exact amount involved, but a second terminal is being considered.

Since Minister Rob Jetton (Climate and Energy) announced in March that the Netherlands would like to expedite the suspension of gas from Russia, Gasunie has been diligently looking for alternatives. About 15 percent of the gas consumed here comes from Russia through pipelines.

Reduce gas 600 times

LNG is a liquefied gas by ship. It makes it 600 times smaller and can carry many more. In its goal, it must be converted back into permeable gas in gas pipelines.

This requires an LNG terminal, which Kasuni currently orders. There is another LNG terminal in the Netherlands, located in the port of Rotterdam. By renting a floating platform, the capacity can be quickly expanded.

Ability

The floating terminal has a gas capacity of four billion cubic meters. Its aim is to build another storage vessel next to it, which could increase the capacity to eight billion, Kasuni said.

The Netherlands burns about forty billion cubic meters of gas each year. Six billion (15 percent) of them are Russians. But the Netherlands also trades a lot on gas, so much more is needed. Last year, 48 billion cubic meters of gas was purchased from Russia’s Gasprom.

Qatar

In addition to the floating terminal, the existing LNG terminal in Rotterdam should be expanded in the Netherlands. In the meantime, it remains to be seen whether enough LNG gas will be available next fall.

Europe wants more gas to be purchased, and countries like LNG producing Qatar have long-term agreements with customers. The United States has already promised to supply more LNG gas to Europe.