GDF SUEZ Charters FSRU for Uruguay LNG Project

The Uruguay FSRU will be 345 meters long and 55 meters wide, giving the GNL del Plata terminal a long-term storage capacity of 263,000 m3 and regasification capacity of 10 Msm3 /day, expandable to 15 Msm3/day. It will be moored 4 km offshore from Montevideo, at the GNL del Plata terminal, which will have the capacity to receive LNG carriers of up to 218,000m.

The FSRU has been chartered from an affiliate of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL, Japan) and is being constructed by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, South Korea. Worldwide, in total 15 FSRU’s / Storage and Regasification Vessels (SRV’s) have been built and 10 FSRU’s are under construction or on order.

Until the delivery of the new FSRU in late 2016, the Shuttle Regasification Vessel GDF SUEZ Neptune will be used as a bridge solution, enabling commercial operation of the terminal to commence in 2015.

In addition to the new Uruguay vessel and GDF SUEZ Neptune, the Group also operates GDF SUEZ Cape Ann, which serves as an FSRU in Tianjin (China). Overall, GDF SUEZ operates a fleet of 14 LNG carriers and has an interest in a significant number of regasification terminals around the world.

The GNL del Plata project

On 1 October 2013 GDF SUEZ signed a 15-year BOOT (Build, Own, Operate and Transfer) contract with Gas Sayago S.A. for LNG storage and regasification services in Uruguay. In February 2014, Marubeni became a 50% partner in the project.

Development of LNG regasification capacity forms part of Uruguay’s Energy Policy 2005-2030 and has been identified as a priority by the Government. GNL del Plata is one of Uruguay’s most important infrastructure projects and will contribute positively to a significant change in the country’s energy mix by providing an additional clean fuel source with access to international markets. The project will also reduce the proportion of imported oil in the country’s energy supply.