Greek LNG Expansion to Start Up Soon
The expansion of Greece’s LNG import terminal is due to go operational in the next week or so, industry sources tell NGW.
Revithoussa terminal currently has maximum sendout rate of 4.5bn m3/yr; the expansion is expected to increase that by 55% to 7bn m3/yr.
Greek gas grid Desfa operates the the terminal. Desfa's CEO, Sotirios Nikas, said during the expansion’s inauguration event on November 22 that start-up was expected to take place within 20 days – therefore mid-December. The original terminal opened in the year 2000; in 2017 it imported 1.28mn metric tons of LNG chiefly from Algeria and Qatar.
A new (95,000 m3) third LNG tank at Revithoussa was completed October 31, increasing the terminal's storage capacity by 73% to 225,000 m3. The jetty at Revithoussa has also been upgraded to receive Q-Max-sized tankers of up to 260,000 m3 cargo size. The overall cost of the latest upgrading was €133mn ($150mn), of which the EU funded €40mn (30%).
Alongside the LNG terminal upgrade, an existing combined heat and power plant (CHP) at Revithoussa (operating since 2009 and also owned by Desfa) has been upgraded at a cost of €17mn, of which the EU funded €5mn; it now has 13 MW electrical generation and 12.3 MW steam generation capacities.
Other developments
Greek gas supplier, Depa, said November 22 that it had completed its €150mn deal, announced mid-July, to buy from Shell 49% stakes in two subsidiaries of Athens area's Attiki Gas.
The transfer of a 66% stake in Desfa agreed at roughly the same time to a three-way international consortium led by Italian gas grid Snam; this however, has yet to be completed. The trio won the bidding in April 2018 to acquire the stake for €535mn.
The banner photo shows existing LNG storage at the Revithoussa terminal, with an LNG carrier moored alongside (credit: Desfa)