Italy's new 5bn m³/yr floating LNG terminal in Piombino has received a final authorisation and is ready to start commercial operations at the beginning of July, operator Snam's LNG business director Elio Ruggeri told Argus today.
"We have just received the final permit from the safety authority, so we are all set from permit procedures and preparing for the launch of the commercial phase," Ruggeri said on the sidelines of the Italian LNG Summit in Rome.
Snam's LNG business director added that the first cargo is expected at the start of July.
The 170,000m³ Golar Tundra floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) sent first gas to the grid on 12 May and finished the process of commissioning at the end of May. The FSRU's regasification averaged 4.6mn m³/d on 12-28 May, including a high of 12.5mn m³ on 27 May. The facility has been idle since 29 May.
The FSRU will move to the Liguria region in 2026, and Snam expects the relocation to take about a year.

