Elengy says to decide on Fos Tonkin’s future next year

French LNG terminal operator Elengy, a unit of Engie, said it will decide on the future of its Fos Tonkin LNG terminal in 2017.

The Fos Tonkin facility is Elengy’s oldest LNG import terminal. The company also operates the Fos Cavaou and Montoir-de-Bretagne LNG terminals.

“Elengy will take, during the year 2017, a decision regarding the continuation of the operation of the Fos Tonkin LNG terminal, at least until 2024, according to the interest shown by the market,” the company said in a statement.

The Fos Tonkin LNG terminal at Fos-sur-Mer on the Rhone delta was officially opened on November 6, 1972. It imports chilled gas mainly from Algeria.

“Th terminal will be operated until 2020 according to contracts and subscriptions in effect, with a regasification capacity of 3 Gm³/year (35 TWh or 124 TBTU ),” Elengy said.

In the current context, where the need for additional subscriptions in Europe might not meet this deadline, Fos Tonkin terminal “has considerable advantages that favors the continuation of the operation beyond 2020″.

According to Elengy, the terminal’s 80,000 m³ tank, an upper-tier Seveso classified site, and a compatible berth for up to MedMax vessels represent an “ideal situation to develop a multimodal LNG platform (rail, road, riverways, sea)“.

These Fos Tonkin facilities, amortized in 2020, could be a “complementary rear base for Fos Cavaou LNG terminal, allowing to keep 2 berths and 4 tanks at a very low cost in the Fos area, thus strengthening south of France’s security of supply without needed major long-term commitments,” the LNG terminal operator said.

LNG World News Staff