Netherlands opens 1st LNG terminal, with 12 BCM capacity
The Netherlands Friday opened its first liquefied gas terminal in the port of Rotterdam, Dow Jones reports.
The terminal, which has a throughput capacity of 12 billion cubic meters, is operated by tank storage company Royal Vopak NV (VPK.AE) and Nederlandse Gasunie NV, a state-owned gas grid operator. Both firms hold a 42.5% stake in the EUR800 million project.
During the opening ceremony, Vopak's Chief Executive Eelco Hoekstra said that the company is looking at further investment in LNG, especially in important gas-producing countries.
LNG--gas that has been super-cooled to liquid form to be shipped around the world on tankers--is a major source of power in Europe and Asia.
Analysts expect European demand to rise in the coming years, as countries seek to become less reliant on coal and nuclear power. In Germany, Europe's largest economy, demand is expected to soar after the government there decided to exit nuclear energy in the wake of the atomic crisis in Japan.
The terminal in Rotterdam will supply the gas market in Northwest Europe, through contracts with utilities like RWE AG , E.ON AG and Dong Energy SA.
The capacity of the LNG terminal, which was officially opened by Dutch Queen Beatrix, can be expanded to 16 billion cubic meters.
The Netherlands is one of Europe's biggest gas producers, but its reserves are slowly shrinking. The Dutch government sees the LNG terminal as a cornerstone in its strategy to make the Netherlands a gas distribution hub in Europe.
The terminal, which has a throughput capacity of 12 billion cubic meters, is operated by tank storage company Royal Vopak NV (VPK.AE) and Nederlandse Gasunie NV, a state-owned gas grid operator. Both firms hold a 42.5% stake in the EUR800 million project.
During the opening ceremony, Vopak's Chief Executive Eelco Hoekstra said that the company is looking at further investment in LNG, especially in important gas-producing countries.
LNG--gas that has been super-cooled to liquid form to be shipped around the world on tankers--is a major source of power in Europe and Asia.
Analysts expect European demand to rise in the coming years, as countries seek to become less reliant on coal and nuclear power. In Germany, Europe's largest economy, demand is expected to soar after the government there decided to exit nuclear energy in the wake of the atomic crisis in Japan.
The terminal in Rotterdam will supply the gas market in Northwest Europe, through contracts with utilities like RWE AG , E.ON AG and Dong Energy SA.
The capacity of the LNG terminal, which was officially opened by Dutch Queen Beatrix, can be expanded to 16 billion cubic meters.
The Netherlands is one of Europe's biggest gas producers, but its reserves are slowly shrinking. The Dutch government sees the LNG terminal as a cornerstone in its strategy to make the Netherlands a gas distribution hub in Europe.