Thematic Plan for Tallinn LNG Terminal Approved, Estonia

The Council of Jõelähtme parish approved the thematic plan for the Tallinn LNG terminal to be built in Muuga Harbour and the initiation of the strategic evaluation of the environmental impact.

The thematic plan ‘Choosing the location for the liquefied natural gas terminal’ covers an area of 300 hectares located in the eastern part of Muuga Harbour. According to the municipal council’s decision, in order to identify the impact of the LNG terminal on the surrounding environment, a strategic evaluation of the environmental impact concerning the thematic plan will also be conducted.

In order to clarify the feasibility of establishing an LNG terminal in Muuga Harbour, state-owned companies Elering AS and AS Tallinna Sadam together with Vopak LNG, the subsidiary of the independent liquid cargo terminals operator Royal Vopak, entered into a Letter of Mutual Intent. In the first stage of the project an initial feasibility study evaluating the suitability of the Tallinn LNG terminal as a terminal supplying the Baltics and Finland is finished.

The European Commission has previously stated their approval for developing an LNG solution in the Baltic countries on the condition that it can cover at least 25 per cent of the entire region’s natural gas needs. The project for developing the Tallinn LNG terminal is part of an extended plan of actions in order to develop a well functioning natural gas market in Estonia in compliance with the principles of the European Union Natural Gas Directive.

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LNG World News Staff, September 07, 2012; Image: Port of Tallinn