The European Commission has approved a grant for the Blue Baltics project, which is supervised by Klaipėdos Nafta, AB, says the Company. The support will comprise approximately 15 million EUR or 31% of the project value.
The Blue Baltics project integrates the investment in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and mobile equipment installation intended for the supply of LNG to marine and other transport in Lithuania, Sweden and Estonia. The Blue Baltics project is a part of the global project for the development of LNG bunkering in the ports of the Baltic Sea region. The project contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the maritime transport sector. Its total value is about 50 million euro.
The major part of this project is an above-ground LNG distribution station, the construction of which is carried out by Klaipėdos Nafta in the area of its oil terminal in Klaipėda next to the second quay. The distribution station is to provide solutions for the transhipment of LNG from vessel to vessel, from shore to vessel, from the shore to LNG trucks, and from mobile LNG tankers to the vessel. According to the plan, the station will start operations in 2017. Approximately 4 million euro of the overall EU support is intended for this project.
The project also includes the development of the infrastructure of LNG filling stations in Estonia and the renovation of an LNG distribution terminal in Sweden. Part of the funds will be allocated to a small scale LNG bunkering vessel in Germany. The support allocated to the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority (KSSA) will reach approximately 1.4 million euro to adjust the quay leased by Klaipėdos Nafta from the KSSA for the LNG transhipment: the support is intended for the preparation of the quay (only construction work excluding equipment).
“The financial support approved by the European Union is an important step for our company in the development of the LNG distribution station project, and it also strengthens our faith in the sound investment decisions being made concerning the development of the LNG infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region. The demand for clean fuel, particularly in the maritime transport sector, is inexorably growing, therefore, we are happy to be a company that promotes the use of cleaner energy and development, and that creates and develops the LNG centre in the Baltic region”, said Mantas Bartuška, General Manager of Klaipėdos Nafta, AB.
In its positive conclusions regarding the project, the European Commission (EC) emphasizes the importance of this project, which is in line with the European Commission’s call to promote the use of alternative fuels. The project will have a positive environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
All in all, the European Commission has formally approved a list of 195 transport projects, which will receive 6.7 billion EUR of EU support under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) applications for the year 2015.