The floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) Exemplar has been connected to the Finnish grid in the Port of Inkoo, ready to receive gas for distribution in Finland and the Baltics.
The 291 m long, 150.9k m3 capacity (68kt of liquefied natural gas, LNG, when fully laden, translating to some 1,050GWh) Exemplar has been chartered for ten years from the Texan Excelerate Energy.
The floating terminal has an annual regasification capacity of 40TWh, which according to Gasgrid, exceeds the country's yearly demand (25.1 TWh in 2021 per the company's data).
The FSRU, operated by Gasgrid Finland's subsidiary Gasgrid Floating LNG Terminal Finland, is connected to the bi-directional Balticconnector pipeline, the other end of which is in the Estonian Paldiski.
Excelerate Energy, through its recently formed Finnish subsidiary, Excelerate Finland Gas Marketing, has executed an agreement to sell commissioning volumes and regasification capacity rights during the commissioning phase. Through this agreement, Excelerate Finland will be able to provide natural gas to downstream customers in Finland and other Baltic countries.
Gasgrid underlines that no Russian gas will be handled at the Inkoo terminal; moreover, the investment will help Finland to permanently phase out its dependency on Russian gas.
"We have now got our LNG floating terminal fully up and running and all the required official permits to start commercial operations are in place. Everything has now been finalised and tested. This means that the customers of our terminal can begin to distribute gas to meet the needs of industry, energy production and households not just in Finland but also in the Baltic States," Esa Hallivuori, Senior Vice President, Transmission Business at Gasgrid Finland, commented.
He furthered, "Our LNG floating terminal has already generated plenty of interest and enquiries from various parties. We believe that there is a real need for the energy provided by our terminal both now and going forward. The LNG floating terminal can provide a huge amount of energy also for heat and power production when needed."
Photo: Excelerate Energy