Doris Leblond
OGJ Correspondent
PARIS, June 27 -- The first train of the Egyptian LNG Project at Idku has come on stream before the Fos-Cavaou terminal on France's Mediterranean coast was ready to receive the gas.
Gaz de France was to take full production of 4.8 billion cu m/year over 20 years from the project. In the meantime, BG Group agreed to buy 36 cargoes of LNG over the next 18 months from GDF "for likely diversion to the US market," BG said June 23.
The deal does not specify the tonnage of LNG to be taken by BG, owing to the variability in available ship sizes. Also, BG will not specify the financial terms of the agreement.
BG plans to divert the cargoes to LNG terminals at Lake Charles, La., and Elba Island, Ga., although it retains the flexibility to deliver to other terminals.