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Elias Hazou
The recently-appointed energy minister George Papanastasiou seems to have injected a sense of purpose
Construction of a €300 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at Vasilikos, plagued by a series of delays, has finally picked up some steam. And whereas not all the ducks are lined up in a row, so to speak, a more assertive stance by Cypriot authorities means the project as a whole could be delivered by the end of the year.
The previous deadline set for completion was October 2023. That target – probably intended for public consumption – was announced only a month ago. To put things into perspective, it was way back in December 2019 when Cyprus signed the contract with a consortium led by China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co Ltd. The project’s kickoff meeting didn’t take place until September 2020.
“Realistically, we’re now looking at end of 2023 for completion, or beginning of 2024,” Energy Minister George Papanastasiou told the Sunday Mail.
The LNG terminal will include a floating storage and regasification unit (Fsru), a jetty for mooring the Fsru, a jetty-borne gas pipeline and related infrastructure.
