EIA: Europe’s LNG import capacity set to expand by one-third by end of 2024

LNG import capacity in the EU and the UK will expand by 34%, or 6.8 billion ft³/d, by 2024 compared with 2021, according to the International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers (GIIGNL) and trade press data. Expansions of import, or regasification, capacity will total 5.3 billion ft³/d by the end of next year and grow further by an additional 1.5 billion ft³/d by the end of 2024, says EIA.

LNG regasification capacity in the EU-27 and the UK remained relatively stabled and expanded modestly in the last 10 years, by 2.8 billion ft³/d (16%), from 17.5 billion ft³/d in 2012 to 20.2 billion ft³/d at the end of 2021, according to data from GIIGNL. Since Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the reduction in natural gas pipeline imports from Russia that followed, European countries have reactivated development of previously dormant regasification projects and have started development of new projects, according to EIA.

Many of the new regasification projects in Europe can be developed relatively quickly by chartering FSRUs and by building pipelines to transport regasified natural gas to connecting pipelines onshore. Other regasification projects in Europe will expand capacity at the existing onshore terminals and implement upgrades to increase existing terminals’ throughput.

So far this year, approximately 1.7 billion ft³/d of the new and expanded LNG regasification capacity has been added in the Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Italy, and Germany. The new EemsEnergy terminal in the Netherlands (0.8 billion ft³/d capacity) consists of two FSRU vessels and received its first import cargo in September 2022. A new FSRU terminal at Wilhelmshaven Port in Germany (0.7 billion ft³/d capacity) has been completed in November 2022.

Regasification terminals currently under construction in seven EU countries could add an additional 3.5 billion ft³/d of new capacity by the end of 2023:

• Germany is developing three new FSRU terminals, which will cumulatively add 1.4 billion ft³/d of regasification capacity at Lubmin, Brunsbuttel, and Wilhelmshaven. Two terminals (at Lubmin and Brunsbuttel) are expected to start operations this winter, and the second terminal at Wilhelmshaven is expected online in 2023.
• Poland will expand capacity at the existing LNG regasification terminal at Swinoujscie by 0.2 billion ft³/d to reach a total capacity of 0.8 billion ft³/d by December 2023.
• France will add 0.4 billion ft³/d of regasification capacity using an FSRU vessel called Cape Anne at Le Havre port, which is expected to come online in Fall 2023.
• Finland and Estonia are jointly developing an FSRU terminal in the Finnish port of Inkoo, which will add 0.5 billion ft³/d capacity and is expected to come online this winter.
• Italy is developing an FSRU terminal near the port of Piombino, which will add 0.5 billion ft³/d of capacity and will likely come online in Spring 2023.
• Greece will bring online an FSRU vessel at Alexandroupolis port by the end of 2023, with 0.5 billion ft³/d of regasification capacity.