Economic Affairs Minister Maria van der Hoeven gave the official green light for construction of the first Liquefied Natural Gas import terminal in the Netherlands, on Maasvlakte in Rotterdam. The Gate terminal will be operational in 2011.
The terminal will have an initial throughput capacity of 9 billion cubic meters (bcm) (31.78 billion cubic feet) per annum and will consist of three storage tanks and one jetty. Annual throughput capacity can be increased to 16 bcm (56.5 billion cubic feet). Each tank will have a capacity of 180,000 cubic meters (6.3 million cubic feet).
Gate terminal was established as an independent LNG import terminal joint venture by NV Nederlandse Gasunie (Gasunie) and Koninklijke Vopak NV (Vopak)in 2005. It is expected to become an important factor for the European receipt of natural gas from other countries. Imports are necessary as Europe's own production is declining yet demand for natural gas is rising. The terminal will both increase the security of supplies and enable new players to enter the European gas market.
A consortium consisting of Techint, Sener, Entrepose and Vinci will build the terminal. The total project costs will be about EUR 800 million. The terminal is expected to be fully operational in the second half of 2011. The construction of the Gate terminal will also significantly strengthen Rotterdam's position as an energy port. Port authorities are investing 60 million Euros ($93.8 million) in the basic infrastructure.