How can we make our country less dependent on Russian gas? One of the solutions is the import of LNG, liquefied natural gas. To facilitate this, Gasunie has started developing an LNG terminal at the port of Eemshaven in Groningen. We are working hard on laying the infrastructure for two floating LNG facilities. Hans Coenen, our Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Business Development, explains, ‘It’s crucial that we have the terminal operational before next winter, which is why we are doing our utmost to see that that happens.’

Two floating LNG facilities

Immediately after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Gasunie entered into talks with the Dutch Minister of Energy and Climate Policy Rob Jetten. The question being considered was ‘Where and how can we expand the necessary infrastructure for LNG import as quickly as possible?’ The port of Eemshaven emerged as the most suitable location for this. Gasunie has now signed two separate contracts for the charter of a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), one with the American energy infrastructure company New Fortress Energy and one with the Belgian shipping company Exmar. Both FSRUs will arrive in Eemshaven in mid-August.

Unloading and regasifying LNG

Hans explains, ‘You cannot simply feed LNG into the gas grid. LNG is transported at a temperature of minus 160 degrees Celsius. The carriers delivering the LNG will dock at the terminal. About 150,000 to 170,000 cubic meters of LNG is unloaded and stored at a time. This is then regasified by heating it to 5 degrees Celsius. That way you get about 100 million cubic meters of natural gas at a time, which can then be fed into the grid.’

Need for LNG

The Netherlands and the EU want to phase out their dependence on Russian natural gas over the coming years. Hans explains, ‘However, we also have to consider the possibility that the supply of natural gas from Russia may soon simply disappear. We use about 40 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Netherlands every year; about 15 percent of that comes from Russia. If the supply of this gas suddenly stops, we may have a problem next winter. With an annual capacity of 8 billion cubic meters, the EemsEnergyTerminal can fill that gap with gas to spare.’ So, with the LNG terminal Gasunie is making an important contribution to stemming our dependence on Russian gas.

No shortage of interested market parties

Gasunie does not trade in natural gas itself, but provides the infrastructure. We facilitate gas import, but the interest must come from the market itself. And that interest appears to be there. The recently launched tender for market parties has generated a lot of interest. ‘Not all the terminal’s clients will be using the natural gas themselves,’ says Hans. ‘Many are parties that resell the gas, such as large power companies and traders.’

Quayside connections

A lot still needs to be done before the EemsEnergyTerminal can be brought into operation. A power connection and a heat grid connection need to be installed, for example. We are also installing an LNG pipeline over the quay that will connect the two floating LNG units. However, the highest priority is the high-pressure pipeline through which the natural gas will be fed into our grid. Hans explains, ‘That will be a pipeline stretching out over about four kilometres with a diameter of 60 centimetres. Though that is a relatively modest pipeline, it is still certainly a challenge to complete it in just a few months.’

Making the impossible possible

If all goes well, the LNG terminal will be ready this autumn. Hans explains, ‘We are doing our utmost to see that that happens. However, we just started in March and we don’t know yet what setbacks we might encounter. Under normal circumstances you would take more time for a project like this. The result is that all the challenges centre around the planning. Design, construction, permits: everything has to be done simultaneously and quickly, while also carefully and safely. And, in the meantime, we need to keep all the stakeholders motivated. There are a few real trouble spots in there as well. All the same, for the sake of security of supply it’s essential that the terminal be ready for use before next winter. It is this pressure that actually makes this project enjoyable – the fact that it should not really be possible, and yet that it will ultimately succeed. That’s what you do it for.’

About Gasunie

Gasunie is a European gas infrastructure company. The company provides the transport of natural gas and green gas via its subsidiaries Gasunie Transport Services B.V. (GTS) in the Netherlands and Gasunie Deutschland in Germany. The company also offers other services in the gas infrastructure field, including gas storage and LNG.