EDF announces its final investment decision in respect of the methane terminal at Dunkirk besides Fluxys G and Total which have both signed agreements giving them shares of 25 % and 10 % respectively in Dunkirk LNG. This company which is responsible for building the industrial installations for the terminal is now 65 %-owned by EDF. The three partners will thus share the €1 billion investment in Dunkirk LNG, based on their respective shareholding in the company.
Commercial agreements have also been signed, allowing Total to reserve up to 2Gm3 per year of storage and re-gasification capacity from the Dunkirk LNG plant and for EDF to retain a capacity of nearly 8Gm3 per year. EDF and Total have signed agreements with GRTgas authorizing them to use the gas distribution network at the exit of the terminal.
Dunkirk LNG reserves the right to eventually welcome other financial or sales partners to the project.
Works on the site, which are due to start at the beginning of 2012, have been awarded in lots to 3 consortiums: Bessac-Razel-Soletanche will build the tunnel between the Gravelines nuclear power station and the terminal; Bouygues-Entrepose Contracting will build the three liquefied natural gas (LNG) reservoirs and Techint-Sener will be responsible for the unloading installations and the industrial processes linked to the re-gasification of LNG.
The Dunkirk methane plant, which is due to come on stream at the end of 2015, will have an annual re-gasification capacity of 13Gm3 and will increase the import capacity for LNG into France by nearly 20%. Thanks to this new terminal, EDF will now be able to offer a balanced and diversified portfolio of natural gas and the Group will thus be able to better respond to the demands of end customers requiring dual fuel (electricity + gas) and to optimize the sourcing of its combined cycle gas plants (CCG). Three CCG will be brought into service by 2012 by EDF in France, with a total capacity of 1360 MW along with a CCG plant with a capacity of 1300 MW in the UK.
EDF Group, one of the leaders in the energy market in Europe, is a comprehensive energy service provider with operations in every business, including energy generation, transport, distribution, trading and sales. The Group is the leading electricity producer in Europe. In France, it mainly has nuclear and hydraulic production facilities, with an electricity output that is 95% free of CO2 emissions. EDF's transport and distribution subsidiaries operate 1,285,000 km of low and medium voltage overhead and underground electricity lines and around 100,000 km of high and very high voltage networks. The Group is involved in supplying energy and services to more than 28 million customers in France.
The Group generated consolidated sales of €65.2 billion in 2010, of which 44.5% in France. EDF is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange and is a member of the CAC 40 index.
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