Dunkirk LNG performance testing complete

Performance testing at the Dunkirk LNG terminal have been completed following the arrival of the third commissioning cargo delivered by RasGas on November 22. 

According to Pablo Videla, managing director of Technint, one of the companies of the TS LNG consortium, the EPC contractor at the terminal, the tests were carried out over a period of ten days after the LNG carrier departed on November 23.

“The 138,000 cbm of LNG from Qatar, which were delivered on 22 November of this year by the third methane tanker to arrive at the terminal were necessary for us to finish our performance tests,” Videla said.

According to a statement by Dunkerque LNG, the facility operator, these tests will validate a particular flow rate, particular capacity and a particular terminal pressure.

“The high-flow rate tests were the last ones conducted by TS LNG before the sign-off with Dunkerque LNG of a major phase: the provisional acceptance phase, i.e. the provisional acceptance by Dunkerque LNG of the LNG terminal and the gradual transfer of its operation to the Gaz-Opale teams,” said Videla.

The Gaz-Opale teams that will undertake the terminal operation for Dunkerque LNG have been undergoing training, which is expected to be concluded by the end of January.

However, Videla notes that TS LNG is still responsible for the operation of the terminal, and the transfer will be finalized after the official handover phase is completed. This is expected to take place once the reliability tests proving that the terminal can function under all operating conditions, are concluded.

Once in full operation, the terminal is expected to be able to regasify 13 billion cbm of gas per year, enough to cover about 20 percent of France and Belgium’s yearly gas consumption.

At the end of June, RasGas and EDF signed an LNG supply agreement under which the Qatari company will deliver up to 2 mtpa of liquefied natural gas to the Dunkirk LNG terminal, starting in 2017.

Dunkirk LNG is 65 percent owned by EDF, 25 percent by Fluxys and 10 percent by Total.

LNG World News Staff