EU Clears Finnish LNG Grant
The European Commission has found that Finland's plan to grant €28mn to the building of a small-scale LNG terminal at Hamina, on the country's southeast coast, is in line with EU state aid rules.
The terminal will have a storage capacity of 30,000 m3 and is due for completion in autumn 2018. The €28mn grant, announced in 2014, will cover 30% of the project’s total investment cost. It is being developed by local energy firm Haminan Energia.
"The Hamina LNG terminal is one of several planned in Finland,” said EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager on March 18. “These small scale LNG terminals will provide a new source of cleaner fuel for the maritime industry and diversify Finland's gas supply sources.” In 2015, the Commission approved a similar LNG terminal grant for Pori on Finland’s west coast.
On March 21, German gas marketer Wingas published a detailed article on its website about the prospects for LNG as a marine and road transport fuel, noting that 90 ships already use LNG as their fuel in Europe but that the figure could double by 2017.
Europe’s main small-scale LNG distributor Skangas said last week it will buy its main source of LNG production. It too plans to open a terminal in Finland.
Mark Smedley