EU steunt project voor opslag LNG-gas in Rotterdam met miljoenen (en)

The European Union will support with over €34 million from the TEN-T Programme a project to adapt infrastructure at the ports of Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and Gothenburg (Sweden) to facilitate the storage and use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).The project contributes to the realisation of the “Motorways of the Sea” (TEN-T Priority Project 21) concept.

The project, selected for funding under the 2012 TEN-T Multi-Annual Call, involves the creation of LNG small-scale bunkering infrastructure in the participating ports to promote the use of this alternative fuel. LNG is rapidly emerging as a more environmentally friendly fuel for the maritime sector and its uptake is encouraged by the European Union. The European market for LNG for maritime transport is presently limited and infrastructure to cater for the small-scale supply of LNG is almost non-existent.

A new storing terminal will be constructed in Rotterdam, from which smaller facilities will be supplied with LNG. This new infrastructure will also feature a truck loading bay to enable ships to store the fuel while moored using trucks. The new facility in Gothenburg, also built as part of the project, will be the first satellite terminal to be supplied directly from the Rotterdam break bulk facility. It will serve as a proof of concept as well as a means to supply the Scandinavian LNG bunkering market. From the Gothenburg facility, in fact, the fuel will be distributed throughout Scandinavia and the broader North Sea area.

The combined facilities for fuelling ships and trucks in both ports will create a synergy effect to address the importance of providing alternative fuel solutions for transport. The new break bulk facilities in Rotterdam and Gothenburg are expected to bring considerable benefits to the environment, estimated in a reduction of 37 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year as well as 32 thousand tonnes of reduced sulphur.

The project will be monitored by the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA) and is set to be completed by December 2015.