Italian offshore energy services firm Saipem has completed its work scope on the Gastrade’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) project offshore Greece, which is expected to strengthen the LNG supply in Southeastern Europe.
Saipem’s work scope for Gastrade’s Alexandroupolis LNG development encompassed the offshore installation of 24 km, 30-inch diameter pipeline, with its pipelay vessel Castoro 10, pipeline end manifold and mooring lines.
Also, Saipem was in charge of the high-pressure natural gas transfer system, transmitting the gas through a flexible riser to the pipeline end manifold, on the seabed, where the gas transmission pipeline is connected.
“We have contributed to the construction of the Independent Natural Gas System (INGS) off the coasts of Alexandroupolis in Greece securing access to new alternative LNG supply sources.
“We are proud to have taken part in this project that will play a significant role in enhancing the security of supply and developing Southeast European energy markets,” Saipem said in a statement.
Gastrade’s floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) Alexandroupoli completed a 10-month conversion at the Seatrium shipyard in Singapore, before arriving to Greece in December 2023.
Following the completion of all testing activities, the terminal is planned to be commercially operational in the first quarter of 2024 and will have a maximum sustainable regasification capacity of 5.5 billion cubic meters a year.
The pipeline, once operational, will deliver natural gas to the NNGTS and onwards to the final consumers in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia and further to Moldova and Ukraine to the east, and Hungary and Slovakia to the west.