The war in Ukraine, closed nuclear power plants in France and a dry summer are some of the reasons why Europe is experiencing a crying need for energy. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is one of the alternatives to the Russian natural gas Europe has been so dependent on. Piling up Over 30 boats are either lying in wait, or sailing back and forth outside the European terminals that can receive the frozen gas. LNG arrives on ships, including from the USA, the Middle East and Norway. Liquid natural gas is also exported from Norway. Here is an LNG ship on its way from Melkøya. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB When gas is transported over long distances, it is often converted into liquid natural gas, so-called liquefied natural gas (LNG). The volume of the gas is compressed approximately 600 times, so that it can be transported further with specially built gas tankers. – It was not long ago that there was a major gas shortage. Now European countries have paid a high price for the gas and the stocks are full. That’s what Tore Guldbrandsøy, head of Rystad Energy’s Brussels office, says to news. He says the ships with the liquefied gas are piling up off the coast of Europe. At the beginning of November, there were twice as many people on hold as a couple of months earlier, writes the Financial Times. Gas for billions They are either waiting for the cold, for free capacity at the facilities, or for prices to rise before they deliver their load, reports Sveriges Radio. Energy analyst Samuel Ciszuk at ELS analysis says it is paradoxical that prices are falling right now. He believes they will rise quite soon. – As soon as the temperature drops, demand will rise. Then it will be expensive again, he says. It is estimated that the value of the gas that is now waiting in the ships is around 2 billion dollars. And in one month, the load may have increased by another 1 billion in value. – So now you wonder where it will get cold first. In Asia or Europe? says Ciszuk. Bigger climate footprint than natural gas Liquefied gas is a much bigger climate disaster than natural gas that comes in pipes. First, it must be frozen. Both that and the transport by ship mean that it has emissions ten times greater than Norwegian pipe gas and about three times higher than Russian pipe gas. – We expect that CO2 emissions will increase by 15 million tonnes in 2022 compared to 2021. The following year could increase by a further 20 million tonnes of CO2 if all Russian gas is replaced by LNG from the USA and other LNG-producing countries, says Tore Guldbrandsøy. And if the tankers end up sailing to Asian ports rather than being unloaded there, it goes without saying that the emissions will be even greater, says Tore Guldbrandsøy. Building new terminals In Europe, there are several plans to expand the capacity to receive the frozen gas. The Netherlands, for example, is planning expansions of its capacity. In September, Germany started construction of a new import terminal in the northeastern city of Lubmin. In December, a floating terminal will be ready in the Finnish town of Ingå. It has been jointly leased by the Finnish and Estonian authorities. And the Croatian authorities have announced that they are planning a terminal on the island of Krk.
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LNG ships in line to deliver gas to Europe – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
