Scheduled maintenance works to be carried out at Klaipėda LNG terminal

The terminal operations will be stopped from 07:00 on 27 September to 07:00 on 1 October due to pre-scheduled LNG terminal maintenance works. At the same time, bottom cleaning works will be carried out in the LNG terminal's water area, which will result in the temporary relocation of the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) from its normal location. During this period, Lithuania will be supplied with natural gas from neighbouring European Union countries.

As planned, the FSRU Independence will be disconnected from the natural gas transmission system on the morning of 27 September and will be moored at the berth of AB Klaipėdos Smeltė.

After the FSRU were relocated, it is planned to inspect and check the terminal jetty infrastructure – the high-pressure loading arms, the gas pipeline, emergency power generation facilities, mooring system and other equipment. Inspection of the technical condition of this equipment and systems requires a interruption of terminal operations. In parallel, sediment collecting works are planned for the LNG terminal's basin, commissioned by the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority.

‚With the terminal operating close to its maximum capacity this year and a significant increase in demand for terminal services, the flawless operation of the LNG terminal is of paramount importance. We take every opportunity to carry out the maintenance work necessary to ensure uninterrupted and high-quality gas supply to customers in Lithuania and neighbouring countries. KN staff, together with Lithuanian and foreign contractors, have planned the works so that the gas supply from the LNG terminal could be restored as soon as possible,‘ says Dainius Čiuta, Chief Operations Officer of AB Klaipėdos Nafta (KN).

During the LNG terminal maintenance stop, natural gas supply to the Lithuanian consumers will be ensured from the Latvian Inčukalnis underground gas storage facility and, if required, via the Lithuanian-Polish  interconnector GIPL.

‚The Lithuanian-Latvian interconnector, which carries gas to both Lithuania and Latvia, is ready to transport large flows. In the case of large transmission orders it is used to its full capacity, but recently before the heating season starts the country's largest gas consumer, the fertiliser producer Achema, is not operating and Lithuania's gas demand is three times lower than normal, at around 10 gigawatt hours of gas per day. We will be able to meet this demand without disruption by transferring gas through the Lithuanian-Latvian interconnector or, if necessary, through the GIPL interconnector with Poland,‘ said Justas Černiauskas, Amber Grid‘s Head of System Management Center.

The KN-operated LNG terminal in Klaipėda is temporarily shut down every year for scheduled maintenance works. Information on the planned works is provided on the KN website and in publicly available schedules.

Once the LNG terminal resumes normal operations, the next LNG cargo is expected in Klaipėda on 8-9 October.