Eemshaven LNG terminal handled 92 ships for Czechia, bringing 14 months’ worth of gas

The liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Eemshaven, the Netherlands, which has been operating since September 2022, has handled a total of 92 ships carrying gas destined for Czechia in its four years of operation. The ships brought a total of 8.2 billion cubic metres of gas, equivalent to around 14 months of gas consumption in the country and more than four years of consumption by all Czech households. Imports have continued at the same pace as last year, despite the crisis in the Middle East. Energy company ČEZ informed the Czech News Agency (ČTK). According to the company, the deliveries contained no Russian gas, and most of the ships came from the US.

Eemshaven was the first LNG terminal to begin operating in Europe since the start of the war in Ukraine, with the first ship arriving there in September 2022. The facility can process eight billion cubic metres of gas a year, of which up to three billion can be supplied to Czechia. In addition to ČEZ, other well-known energy companies have booked capacity at the terminal: British-Dutch Shell and France’s Engie.

So far this year alone, 20 ships ordered by ČEZ have arrived at the Dutch terminal, carrying a total of 1.8 billion cubic metres of gas.

"LNG deliveries through the Eemshaven facility helped us ensure sufficient gas supplies for Czech households and industry, even during the energy crisis. The current situation also confirms how important our decision to invest in capacity at the floating terminal was. The war in the Middle East has significantly disrupted global gas trade, but LNG for ČEZ continues to flow to Eemshaven without interruption. Most of the gas is transported by tankers directly from fields in the United States," said ČEZ CEO Daniel Beneš.

According to the company, its involvement in operating the terminal has also helped with planning and negotiating supplies. "We are actively negotiating with partners in the global market, which has paid off handsomely this year, and we bought LNG in good time despite the current tight market. We are also continually expanding our expertise in this area. For example, last year we brought a ship to the terminal for the very first time after arranging its entire voyage, from negotiations with the LNG supplier in the US and loading the ship to the voyage itself and its return," said David Viduna, ČEZ’s LNG manager.

ČEZ has leased capacity until September next year, but the government tasked the company this year with negotiating an extension of the lease. The terminal operator has not yet concluded talks with interested parties. In addition to Eemshaven, ČEZ plans to use the onshore terminal in Stade, Germany, in the future, and also has a contract with Algerian state-owned company Sonatrach.