Estonian energy firm to tap Lithuanian LNG
Estonian energy group Eesti Energia (EE) will shortly become the fourth company to tap gas supplies from Lithuania’s Klaipeda LNG import terminal, the latter’s operator Klaipedos Nafta (KN) announced on August 22.
EE has signed a contract with KN for unspecified amount of LNG from the plant. Its first cargo should arrive at the end of September, the Lithuanian firm said in a statement.
Launched in 2014, the 4bn m³/yr Klaipeda LNG terminal has often struggled to utilise enough capacity, as a result of competition from Russian gas. Its imports soared 34% in the first half, however, arriving at 400,000 mt (around 540-540mn m3 of gas). According to KN, the terminal’s capacity is fully booked for the next gas year, which runs from October 1 2019 until September 30 2020.
“We are committed to offering our customers competitive pricing and smart solutions, EE’s head of energy trading, Eero Sirendi, commented. “This solution will allow gas to be purchased at competitive prices and gasified and supplied to customers in the Baltic States.”
EE sells gas to households and businesses in all three Baltic States and Poland.
The Klaipeda terminal’s other three clients are all Lithuanian. They are fertiliser producer Achema, state-owned energy group Lietuvos Energijos Tiekimas (LET) and commodities trader Imlitex.