Extension denied for Bordeaux LNG terminal

July 31, 2009
French authorities have refused to extend an agreement allowing 4Gas, Rotterdam, to build a 6-9 billion-cu-m/year LNG terminal on the site of a former oil storage depot at the Port of Bordeaux at Le Verdon.

Doris Leblond
OGJ Correspondent

PARIS, July 31– French authorities have refused to extend an agreement allowing 4Gas, Rotterdam, to build a 6-9 billion-cu-m/year LNG terminal on the site of a former oil storage depot at the Port of Bordeaux at Le Verdon.

The LNG developer sought a 2-year extension of a 3-year land option for the project, which has encountered delays.

Henk Jonkman, general manager of 4Gas in France, told OGJ the extension was part of the contract.

Jonkman said French Energy and Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo and Transport State Sec. Dominque Bussereau pressured port authorities to reject the extension, which they already had approved.

Except for a recently appointed port manager, port officials involved in the dispute have resigned.

The developer had agreed to all environmental and safety measures required for the extension, including landscaping around the site and burying of tanks. It has also completed public debate and applied for permits.

The project has been opposed by local elected officials, especially Bussereau, who is mayor of a small commune near the mouth of the Gironde River.

Official notice of the fate of the project is due Aug. 4. Jonkman said he would appeal rejection in court and seek compensation.