Gastrade ready for new LNG cargoes at Dedeağaç FSRU

Gastrade is in talks with existing and potential new users of the Dedeağaç FSRU to receive spot LNG cargoes by the end of September, following the facility’s return to operation on August 11 after months of inactivity due to a technical issue.

According to a report by LNG Prime, citing company sources, Gastrade is negotiating the unloading of new spot cargoes until the end of the current Gas Year 2024–2025, which concludes in late September. The same sources added that planning for the new Gas Year 2025–2026 is underway and expected to be finalized by September 1.

As previously announced by Gastrade, LNG unloading and regasification services at the Dedeağaç FSRU will be available at a maximum regasification capacity of 45.4 GWh/day—about 25% of its nominal capacity—while backup coverage will be ensured through high-pressure pumps. This restriction will be lifted with the start of the new Gas Year on October 1, 2025, though some operational limitations may remain for a short period.

The development signals increased activity at the facility, which plays a critical role in energy security and diversification of natural gas sources and routes in Southeastern Europe. The Dedeağaç FSRU is expected to receive its fifth LNG cargo since it became commercially operational on October 1, 2024.

The first delivery, which marked the official launch of the FSRU, arrived on October 3, 2024, with Norwegian LNG from Equinor’s Hammerfest terminal, destined for Bulgaria’s state-owned gas company, Bulgargaz. Two additional American cargoes followed in November and December for Bulgargaz—one from Sempra’s Cameron LNG terminal in Louisiana and another from Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass terminal. Venture Global, a long-term capacity holder at the FSRU, has recently made headlines after a major legal victory against Shell and other energy majors over alleged contract violations.

The most recent delivery before the FSRU was forced offline came from Freeport LNG in Texas, arriving on January 19, 2025. Operations were suspended on January 28. Notably, around 723 GWh of LNG that could not be regasified due to the outage was reloaded onto the Palu LNG tanker and delivered to Turkey’s Marmara Ereğlisi LNG terminal.

(Source: powergame.gr)