Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 27 -- Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has received a contract to provide conceptual engineering studies and owner engineering support for an extension of Gaz de France's LNG terminal at Montoir-de-Bretagne in France.
Jacobs said the project is phased to increase overall capacity by 65% in accordance with plans announced last December when Gaz de France said it would extend the terminal to meet growing LNG demand in France and Europe (OGJ, Jan. 15, 2007, Newsletter).
At the time, the company said the terminal's delivery capacity of 10 billion cu m/year would be gradually increased to 16.5 billion cu m/year over a 4-year period.
Gaz de France said initial work, to be completed in early 2011, would boost overall capacity to 12.5 billion cu m/year by enhancing the terminal's regasification facilities.
It said a second increase of 4 billion cu m by 2014 would raise total capacity to 16.5 billion cu m/year following construction of a fourth large-capacity LNG tank as well as the additional strengthening of the terminal's regasification and emission facilities.
Gaz de France's Montoir-de-Bretagne LNG terminal was commissioned in 1980 and receives some 100 tankers a year. The terminal facilities include storage capacity of 360,000 cu m, and two pier facilities capable of handling LNG carriers with a capacity of as much as 200,000 cu m.
Last October, Japan's Mitsui & Co. signed an agreement with Electricite de France, agreeing to share its rights to use 700,000 tons or 8.5% of the total capacity of the terminal.
Mitsui said it will procure LNG from producing nations in the Middle East and Africa and ship it to the reception facilities. Electricite de France will then use its pipeline network to deliver the LNG as natural gas to users throughout Europe.
Reports said Mitsui is the first Japanese company to gain rights to use an LNG reception facility in Europe and that it plans to use the opportunity to advance into downstream LNG operations in the region.
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].
