President urges ministries to speed up LNG project

President Nicos Anastasiades on Thursday instructed government departments to do what they can to speed up the project for the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

A meeting held at the presidential palace discussed the delays in the construction of the LNG import terminal at Vasilikos, Limassol.

According to a statement from the government spokesman, following a review of the situation Anastasiades asked the involved departments to see how they can expedite the delayed project “with a view to protecting the public interest.”

It was the second such meeting called by the president over the past fortnight. On January 21 Anastasiades had also chaired a meeting attended by the energy minister and the leadership of Etyfa, a subsidiary of Defa, Cyprus’ natural gas public company.

The developments come amid reports that the LNG import project has fallen considerably behind schedule.

The infrastructure works, initially set to conclude before the end of 2022, are now expected to be completed by July 2023.

The project involves the construction of a floating storage and regasification unit (Fsru), a jetty and mooring facilities in the Vasilikos area.

It has been described as the largest energy project in Cyprus with a total value of around €300 million.

The consortium of China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co Ltd, Metron SA, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding and Wilhelmsen Ship Management won the contract for the infrastructure works, while Defa is in negotiations with suppliers of the LNG itself.