25 Apr 2023 17:53

Klaipeda LNG terminal capacities planned 10 years in advance - Energy Ministry

VILNIUS. April 25 (Interfax) - Loading capacity of the Klaipeda liquefied natural gas terminal is planned for 10 years ahead, Lithuanian Minister of Energy Dainius Kreivis said.

"The LNG terminal is booked 10 years in advance, and even one-off cargoes for which there is room are ordered several quarters ahead of time," he said on Tuesday in the Sejm.

In Q1 of the current year, the LNG terminal provided 90% (8.9 TWh in equivalent) of the total volume of gas transported to the Lithuanian gas transmission system.

Earlier, Klaipedos nafta reported that the LNG terminal operated by the company in Klaipeda in 2022 posted record results, 96% more - only 32 TWh - of natural gas was regasified. Meanwhile, the demand for the terminal's services has increased significantly, as the countries in the region have started looking for alternatives to importing Russian natural gas. Since April last year, the LNG terminal has been operating at almost maximum capacity.

It was also reported that seven clients from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Norway will use the Klaipeda LNG terminal in 2023. The total capacity of the terminal, which was supposed to be distributed for 2023, is 39 TWh. This year, the terminal planned to receive 39 gas carriers, which should deliver a total of about 5.3 million cu. m. of LNG.

The regasification capacity of the terminal is 3.75 bcm, and the possibility of increasing it to 5 billion or 6.25 bcm is under consideration.