Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal
| Part of the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal is an LNG import terminal in France with units that are operating and in construction.
Location
Table 1: Location details
| Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Expansion 1 (Debottlenecking) | Fos-sur-Mer, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France[1] | 43.41963, 4.90102 (exact) |
| Expansion 2 | Fos-sur-Mer, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France[1] | 43.41963, 4.90102 (exact) |
| Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal (base project) | Fos-sur-Mer, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France[1] | 43.41963, 4.90102 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the terminal:
Project Details
Table 2: Infrastructure details
| Name | Facility type | Status | Capacity | Total terminal capacity | Offshore | Associated infrastructure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expansion 1 (Debottlenecking) | import[2] | operating[3] | – | 10.0 mtpa | False | – |
| Expansion 2 | import[4] | construction[4] | 2 mtpa[4] | 10.0 mtpa | False | – |
| Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal (base project) | import[2] | operating[5] | 8 mtpa[2] | 10.0 mtpa | False | – |
Table 3: Cost
| Name | Facility type | Cost | Total known terminal costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expansion 1 (Debottlenecking) | import[2] | – | – |
| Expansion 2 | import[4] | – | – |
| Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal (base project) | import[2] | – | – |
Financing
No financing data available.
Table 4: Project timeline
| Name | Facility type | Status | Proposal year | FID year | Construction year | Operating year | Inactive year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expansion 1 (Debottlenecking) | import[2] | operating[3] | 2021[6] | – | – | 2023[3] | – |
| Expansion 2 | import[4] | construction[4] | 2021[6] | – | –[4] | – | – |
| Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal (base project) | import[2] | operating[5] | 2005[7] | – | 2005[7] | 2010[5] | – |
Ownership
Table 5: Ownership
| Name | Facility type | Status | Owners | Parent companies | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expansion 1 (Debottlenecking) | import[2] | operating[3] | Fosmax LNG SAS [100%][8] | Elengy [100.0%] | Elengy[2] |
| Expansion 2 | import[4] | construction[4] | Fosmax LNG SAS [100%][8] | Elengy [100.0%] | Elengy[2] |
| Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal (base project) | import[2] | operating[5] | Fosmax LNG SAS [100%][8] | Elengy [100.0%] | Elengy[2] |
Background
Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal in Bouches-du-Rhône. The terminal is owned by Fosmax LNG, which is in turn owned by Engie.[9][10][11]
The terminal was first proposed in 2005, and construction began in February 2005 but experienced delays, extending the construction period by eight months.[12] An approximate final investment decision date was presumed to be February 2005, given the fact that construction had begun at that time.
The terminal began operating in 2009[13] and became fully operational in September 2010.[14]
According to Food and Water Europe's profile on gas use in France, "Between January 2012 and March 2019 (and for Dunkerque since it started operating in January 2017), the four existing LNG terminals were only used at an average of about 30% of their capacity. At the end of 2016 while the Dunkirk terminal was just about to be commissioned, Engie, its main operator, announced it would cut 1,150 jobs in the French LNG sector. Despite these more than sufficient infrastructures, especially in a context of important gas demand reduction, France receives significant support (notably via the List of Projects of Common Interest) to further develop its gas network and transmission capacity."[15]
In December 2019, Elengy said the Montoir LNG Terminal in western France was fully booked between 2023 and 2035, with only a little capacity available in 2021 and 2022. Elengy also stated that it would study options for offering capacity at the Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal beyond 2030, and at the Montoir LNG Terminal beyond 2035.[16]
In June 2020, Total and Sonatrach renewed their LNG partnership, allowing an additional 2 mtpa of Algerian LNG to be delivered to the French market through the Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal.[17]
Expansion projects
There are two proposed expansion projects. Initially, it was proposed that the first project would add 1.5 bcm/y of capacity by 2024, and the second would add 2.0 bcm/y capacity by 2030.[18][19] According to Natural Gas Intel, Engie SA subsidiary Elengy has considered expanding capacity at its receiving terminals in France, including the Montoir LNG Terminal, which is now fully booked from 2023-2035, and the Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal. These expansions are in response to a second wave of U.S. export facilities expected to come online in the years ahead.[20] Elengy was reported to be starting 'Open Season Fos Cavaou' in January 2021, offering to the market capacities already available from 2022, as well as the possibility to subscribe additional capacity and the extension of the terminal beyond 2030.[21]
In March 2022, in response to EU efforts to reduce Russian gas imports, Engie proposed to increase the capacity of the terminal by 11 TWh in 2022 and an additional 13 TWh in 2023.[22] According to the October 2022 ENTSOG Ten-Year Network Development Plan, expansion project for Fos Cavaou LNG will expand the terminal's capacity from 8.25 bcm/y up to 16.5 bcm/y, with an intermediate step at 11 bcm/y.[23] A December 2022 Argus Media article described Fos Cavaou's first expansion as a result of optimization and/or debottlenecking processes.[24] According to the GIIGNL report released in July 2023, technical debottlenecking increased the capacity of Fos Cavaou terminal to 8 mtpa in May 2023, and work on possible capacity increases is ongoing.[25]
Current Regasification Capacity
In January 2025, the French Energy Regulatory Commission issued a decision on the commercial offering of Elengy's regulated LNG terminal. The document reports that until April 2022 Elengy had commercialized a regasification capacity of 8.5 bcm/year. Following technical and contractual debottlenecking, the terminal increased its total regasification capacity to approximately 10 bcm/year. The terminal has one jetty and three storage tanks with a total capacity of 330,000 m³. The terminal also allows for the reloading of LNG carriers, and the loading of trucks for transported LNG. The terminal is fully subscribed until 2040.[26] According to the GIE 2025 LNG Database, the terminal's annual capacity increased by 1.5 bcm/year in 2022 resulting in the total capacity of 10 bmc/year.[18]
2030 Expansion Project
The GIE 2025 LNG Database mentions planned expansion of the terminal's annual capacity by 2 bcm/year in 2030.[18] The GRTgaz's "2024–2033 Ten-Year Network Development Plan", released in November 2024, also includes the Fos Cavaou expansion project to reach 12 bcm/year in 2030. The document notes that the Fos Tonkin LNG Terminal will extend its operation beyond 2028, as an alternative to or a bridge for the Cavaou extension.[27] According to the IGU 2025 Report, released in May 2025, the project is under construction.[4] As of July 2026, there have not been any updates about the project.
Ownership
In February 2020, French energy group Total had sold its 27.5% interest in Fosmax LNG, which operates France’s Fos Cavaou liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal to Elengy, a subsidiary of Engie.[28]
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of LNG terminals, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.google.com/maps/place/43%C2%B025'10.7%22N+4%C2%B054'03.7%22E/@43.41963,4.8984451,839m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d43.41963!4d4.90102?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcxNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 (PDF) https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/67bdb9fc993751711c5f54fd/685278fda1e68e3b4324e2cf_0432365c1c5b8fb129ae8055cca8cb9b_%23GIIGNL%20-%20Livre%202025-20250610-Simple.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 (PDF) https://giignl.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GIIGNL-2023-Annual-Report-July20.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 "IGU 2025 Report" (PDF). IGU. 2025. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 http://www.ogj.com/articles/2010/09/fos-cavaou-lng-terminal.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/natural-gas/032321-frances-lng-terminal-fos-cavaou-launches-open-season-for-2022-45-capacity.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://www.hydrocarbons-technology.com/projects/fos-cavaou-lng-terminal-fos-sur-mer/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 https://www.elengy.com/en/our-locations/fos-cavaou-lng-terminal.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal, Wikipedia, accessed April 2017.
- ↑ Fosmax LNG website, accessed July 2017.
- ↑ 50 years of LNG – 2010: commercial startup of a new LNG terminal operated by ENGIE at Fos Cavaou, Engie press release, 27 June 2015.
- ↑ "Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal Fos Sur Mer". Hydrocarbons Technology. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "GIIGNL Annual Report 2021 (p 55)" (PDF). GIIGNL. November 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Fos Cavaou LNG terminal operating at full capacity, Oil & Gas Journal, 1 Sept. 2010.
- ↑ France, Food and Water Europe, accessed December 4, 2019
- ↑ France's Elengy says Montoir LNG terminal fully booked 2023-2035, Reuters, December 4, 2019
- ↑ "GIIGNL 2021 Annual Report”, page 38, GIIGNL, accessed May 4, 2021.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "LNG Database". Gas Infrastructure Europe. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Simon, Antoine (March 23, 2021). "France's LNG terminal Fos Cavaou launches open season for 2022-45 capacity". S&P Global.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Jamison Cocklin, European Import Terminals Plan Expansions as U.S. LNG Volumes Grow Natural Gas Intel, December 6, 2019
- ↑ Rhys Berry, Europe: Eleny Issues Call for Capacity Subscriptions at Fos Cavaou LNG Terminal, Bunkerspot, Dec. 21, 2020
- ↑ "Engie va augmenter la capacité du terminal GNL de Fos Cavaou | Montel". Montel (in français). Retrieved 2022-09-06.
- ↑ UPDATED TYNDP 2022 List of Projects. ENTSOG. October 21, 2022.
- ↑ "European LNG import capacity to rise sharply in 2023 | Argus Media". 2022-12-29. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
- ↑ GIIGNL. The LNG Industry: GIIGNL Annual Report 2023. July 14, 2023.
- ↑ "Délibération de la Commission de régulation de l'énergie du 9 janvier 2025 portant décision relative à l'offre commerciale des terminaux méthaniers régulés d'Elengy" (PDF). CRE. 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 62 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Plan décennal de développement du réseau de GRTgaz 2024-2033" (PDF). www.natrangroupe.com. 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ French energy firm Total divests stake in Fos Cavaou LNG terminal, Hydrocarbons Technology, February 7, 2020
