Sopuruchi Onwuka

Newbuild floating liquefied natural gas regasification (FSR) vessel has arrived Italy to add more gas delivery facilities on the northern Mediterranean coasts as Europe continues to expand its energy supply channels and cut dependence on Russian hydrocarbon fuels.

Ad >>>

Chief Executive of Italian gas group Snam, Stefano Venier, said the vessel would be operational from May. Snam owns the FSR vessel.

The FLNG reception floater, Golar Tundra, from Singapore, arrived Tuscany in Italy on Sunday to boost supplies to the economic bloc considered to be a new major market for producers who are currently in a tight race against energy transition.

The Golar Tundra holds storage nameplate for 170,000 cubic metres of LNG and has an annual regasification capacity of five billion cubic metres, according to Snam.

Tuscany President, Eugenio Giani said at the port that “five billion cubic metres of gas allows us to reach levels of self-sufficiency that allows families to think about lower bills.”

Snam said last summer the unit could contribute around 6.5 percent of Italy’s needs, bringing national regasification capacity to over 25 percent of demand.

Russia provided around 40 percent of Italy’s gas in 2021 but this fell to 16 percent last year, officials say.

The Oracle Today reports that from Nigeria to Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ganon, Australia. Qatar, Egypt and United States; new LNG expansion plants are springing up while plans are translating to projects for greenfield plants.

Nigeria is currently in its seventh liquefaction train in a plan for 12 plants in the Bonny complex. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited stated that it is also seeking partners to revive the stalled Brass LNG and Olokola LNG projects.

The country is also on feasibility studies for two transnational pipelines across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. The plans would see Nigerian natural gas flowing via pipelines and sailing by vessels to Europe where new market shares are up for grabs.

Currently, Germany alongside Spain and Italy are some of the many European countries building new regas terminals, with floating storage and regas vessels providing quick wins to bridge cuts in Russian supplies.   

Golar Tundra floating storage and regasification unit is to be installed at the Piombino site from where it will receive liquified natural gas (LNG) from other carriers, regasify the fuel before feeding into national transmission and distribution networks.

The project is key to Italy’s plan to reduce its reliance on Russian gas following the invasion of Ukraine, which has also seen it sign new deals with partners such as Algeria and Libya.

Former energy minister Roberto Cingolani said last year it was “essential for national security”.

The location was chosen so gas can be easily transported to Italy’s heavily industrialised north, although the government says it is temporary, and that after three years it would move.