TotalEnergies: Interest in Le Havre FSRU ‘significantly’ exceeds available capacity

TotalEnergies LNG Services France (TELSF), an affiliate of French energy major TotalEnergies, has concluded the market test launched for floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) capacity in Le Havre, France.

From 16 to 30 January, TELSF ran a non-binding call of interest for LNG import and regasification capacity of up to 2.5 billion cubic metres per year to be made available at Le Havre FSRU from September 2023 for a five-year period.

According to TELSF’s statement, demand expressed during the market test significantly exceeded available capacity as several market players expressed a high level of interest in an aggregated amount close to 12 billion cubic metres per year in the five-year period.

“This success illustrates the market’s appetite for additional LNG regasification capacity to meet French demand as well as the need to strengthen the security of gas supply”, the company said.

The market test represented the first phase of the marketing call which is being organised in accordance with the request for an exemption that the affiliate submitted to the French authorities.

The second phase will be a binding open season, expected to be launched in March 2023.

Le Havre LNG terminal is a project initiated by TotalEnergies and the French Minister of Ecological Transition.

The FSRU project in Le Havre could allow France to increase its regasification capacity by around 5 billion cubic metres per year. This corresponds to the average annual gas consumption of more than four million households in France.