Qatargas, the world’s largest LNG producer, supplied a commissioning cargo for India’s Ennore LNG receiving terminal, near the southern Indian city of Chennai.
The commissioning LNG cargo was delivered onboard the vessel Golar Snow on February 25, 2019 by the Swiss commodity trader, Gunvor, to the state-owned Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), which owns and operates the five million tonnes per annum (MTPA) terminal.
Qatargas sold the cargo free on board (FOB) basis to Gunvor, the company said in its statement.
Ennore will be India’s fifth operational LNG terminal and the first LNG terminal on the East Coast of India.
Once fully commissioned, Ennore will provide regasified LNG to anchor customers, including Chennai Petroleum Corporation, Madras Fertilizers and Manali Petrochemicals.
Since it started deliveries to Petronet LNG in July 1999, Qatargas has delivered over 1,500 cargoes under long-term or short-term and spot deals.
In addition to the Ennore terminal, terminals located at Mundra and Jaigarh are also due to be commissioned in the near future as well as a host of other gas related infrastructure projects, Qatargas said.
These additional terminals will increase India’s capacity to import LNG from 30 mtpa to 44 mtpa, a 46 percent increase as India continues towards its target of 15 percent gas in the energy mix.