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 in operation since September 2022, has handled a total of 92 ships carrying gas 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’ 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 informed the Czech News Agency (ČTK). It said the deliveries contained no Russian gas, with most of the ships coming from the United States.

Eemshaven was the first LNG terminal to launch in Europe after the start of the war in Ukraine; the first ship arrived there 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 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, 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 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 severely disrupted global gas trade, but liquefied natural gas for ČEZ continues to flow to Eemshaven without interruption. That is because we transport most of the gas by tanker 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 deliveries. "We actively negotiate with partners on the global market, which has paid off handsomely this year, allowing us to buy LNG in good time despite the current shortage. 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, having taken care of 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 ČEZ LNG manager David Viduna.

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 it also has a contract with Algerian state-owned company Sonatrach.