Eemshaven LNG terminal handled 92 ships for Czechia, delivering 14 months' worth of gas

The liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Eemshaven, the Netherlands, which has been operating since September 2022, handled a total of 92 ships carrying gas for the Czech Republic in its first four years of operation. The ships delivered 8.2 billion cubic metres of gas in total, equivalent to around 14 months of domestic gas consumption and more than four years' consumption by all Czech households. Imports are continuing this year at the same pace as last year despite the crisis in the Middle East. Energy company ČEZ told the Czech News Agency (ČTK). According to the company, the deliveries contained no Russian gas, and most of the ships came from the United States.

Eemshaven was the first LNG terminal to open in Europe after the start of the war in Ukraine, with the first ship arriving in September 2022. The facility can process eight billion cubic metres of gas a year, of which up to three billion can be sent to the Czech Republic. In addition to ČEZ, other prominent energy companies have booked capacity at the terminal: British-Dutch Shell and France's Engie.

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

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

The company said its involvement in the terminal's operations had also helped with planning and negotiating supplies. "We actively negotiate with partners in the global market, which has paid off considerably this year, and we bought LNG in time even in today's tight market. We are also continually expanding our expertise in this area. For example, last year we delivered a ship to the terminal for the very first time and handled its entire voyage, from negotiations with the LNG supplier in the United States 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 this year the government tasked the company with negotiating an extension. 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 it also has a contract with Algerian state-owned company Sonatrach.