Wartsila breaks ground on Hamina LNG terminal in Finland

Hamina LNG and Wartsila have started construction of €100 million worth Hamina LNG terminal, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal to be located at Finland’s Port of Hamina.

The Hamina LNG terminal will be owned by Hamina LNG, a joint venture formed by Hamina Energia, a municipal energy distribution company, and Alexela Varahald, an oil terminal company.

Wartsila holds an engineering, procurement and construction contract for the new Finnish LNG terminal which will have a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters.

The Hamina LNG terminal is planned to be linked to the domestic gas network of Hamina and the Finnish national gas grid. The new LNG terminal in Finland will also have re-gasification capability for sending the gas to the already established distribution network that serves both regional and national markets.

Ground-breaking ceremony for the new Hamina LNG terminal in Finland. Photo courtesy of Wärtsilä

Alexandre Eykerman – Vice President of Wartsila, commenting on the Hamina LNG terminal in Finland, said: “This project is very much in line with Wärtsilä’s emphasis on utilising LNG fuel to reduce the environmental impact of power generation. It also supports our vision of a future where 100 percent of energy will be sourced from renewables, such as solar and wind.”

Additionally, the Hamina LNG terminal will have a truck-loading area for LNG, as well as the possibility to supply the commodity to bunkering barges and small scale carriers.

According to Wartsila, the tank foundation for the Finnish LNG terminal has already been cast and it is expected to commence full operations in 2020, following which, it is anticipated to give access to the Finnish gas import market.

Commenting on the Hamina LNG terminal in Finland, Markku Tommiska – CEO, Hamina Energy, said: “This new terminal represents an important addition to Finland’s gas infrastructure and will support our ambition to provide a reliable supply of clean energy to local industry and businesses. We appreciate Wärtsilä’s extensive capabilities in LNG engineering, which have made this project possible.”

Wartsila had also made a minority investment in the Hamina LNG terminal through Wärtsilä Development and Financial Services (WDFS).

The Finnish company alongside Hamina LNG plans to build a second 20,000 cubic meters LNG storage tank at a later date.