The infrastructure, which allows liquefied gas to be imported by sea, was put into service in October, despite criticism of its consequences for the climate.
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The floating LNG terminal commissioned in October 2023 in Le Havre has been underutilized since then, said the NGO Greenpeace on Friday March 22. She opposed the installation of this infrastructure operated by TotalEnergies, authorized by the government to secure France’s natural gas supply and reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
The infrastructure, which allows liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be imported by sea, was used at 36.77% of its capacity during this winter, from December 13 to March 12, declares the NGO on the basis of data from the European platform Gas Infrastructure Europe reported since December 13.
This rate stood at 79.56% over the period from December 13 to 31 before declining in the following months, according to figures communicated to AFP. Between December 13 and January 31, it fell to 48.76% then to 43.49% on February 10.
Government’s “losing bet”
“These data once again call into question the real usefulness of the Le Havre LNG terminal, set up in the fall following lobbying by TotalEnergies,” declares the NGO, which tried, in September, to prevent the arrival in the port of Le Havre of this floating terminal, which in reality consists of a factory ship, the Cape Ann.
Greenpeace further highlights that the territory’s four onshore regasification terminals (Fos-Cavaou, Fos-Tonkin, Montoir-de-Bretagne and Dunkerque) all experienced a decline in activity in 2023, with utilization rates ranging from 52 .64% to 71.6% depending on the sites, down compared to 2022, a year marked by an energy crisis (50.91% to 92.32%).
For the association, the government made a “losing bet” by authorizing the multinational to install this terminal, while gas consumption is declining in France and Europe. The government had invoked a “precautionary measure” at the time of the decision in 2022.