RasGas delivers first LNG to Italy’s Toscana floating regasification terminal
Qatar’s RasGas has delivered its first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Italy’s Toscana Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) for Swiss multi-energy trading company DufEnergy Trading SA (DufEnergy).
Located 22km off the Italian coast between Livorno and Pisa, FSRU Toscana is one of Italy’s main regasification projects. The terminal is permanently anchored to the seabed through a mooring system, with a single point of rotation at the bow.
The shipment to a new customer at a new terminal underlines RasGas’ positive growth path despite the prevailing climate of low energy prices, the Qatari company’s chief marketing and shipping officer Khalid Sultan R. Al Kuwari said.
“RasGas looks forward to continuing our support of DufEnergy in meeting the growing demand in Italy, and throughout Europe, for cleaner energy in the form of LNG,” Kuwari said. “The arrival of our LNG cargo at FSRU Toscana represents another positive development in RasGas’ global operations.”
RasGas, established in 2001 as a joint stock company by Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil RasGas, is one the world’s largest gas exporters, with a 27-strong fleet of long-term chartered LNG vessels: 14 conventional ships, 12 Q-Flex and one Q-Max vessel.
Based in Ras Laffan Industrial City north of Doha, RasGas extracts, processes, liquefies, stores and exports LNG and its derivatives from Qatar’s North Field to Asia, Europe and the Americas with a total LNG production capacity of approximately 37m tonnes per annum.
RasGas also operates the Al Khaleej Gas Projects supplying approximately 2bn standard cubic feet (Bscf) per day via pipeline to the domestic market.
It is currently adding production capacity by managing the construction of the Barzan Gas Project which, when fully operational, is expected to supply approximately 1.4 Bscf of additional sales gas per day to the Qatari market to meet growing demand at power stations and downstream industries.
RasGas also operates the Ras Laffan Helium Plant which came on stream in 2005. The plant extracts, purifies and liquefies helium from the North Field. The second helium plant entered production in June 2013 bringing the total liquid helium production capacity to 1.96 Bscf per year.