Porto Empedocle LNG Terminal
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Porto Empedocle LNG Terminal, also known as Sicilia LNG Terminal, is a proposed LNG import terminal in Italy.
Location
Table 1: Location details
| Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Porto Empedocle LNG Terminal | Agrigento, Agrigento, Sicily, Italy[1] | 37.28297, 13.53774 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porto Empedocle LNG Terminal | import[2] | proposed[3] | 5.88 mtpa[4] | 5.88 mtpa | False | – |
Table 3: Cost
| Name | Facility type | Cost | Total known terminal costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porto Empedocle LNG Terminal | import[2] | US$1,090,000,000 (1,000,000,000 EUR)[5] | US$1,090,000,000 |
Financing
No financing data available.
Table 4: Project timeline
| Name | Facility type | Status | Proposal year | FID year | Construction year | Operating year | Inactive year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porto Empedocle LNG Terminal | import[2] | proposed[3] | 2007[6] | – | – | 2026[2][5] | – |
Ownership
Table 5: Ownership
| Name | Facility type | Status | Owners | Parent companies | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porto Empedocle LNG Terminal | import[2] | proposed[3] | Nuove Energie [100%][7] | Enel SpA [100.0%] | – |
Background
Porto Empedocle LNG Terminal is a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal in Sicily, Italy. The proposal was originally developed by Nuove Energie Srl, which was bought by Enel in 2007.[8] Enel and the regional government signed an MoU in August 2009.[9] As of February 2011, Enel stated that it planned to have the terminal operational by 2015.[10]
In July 2016, after years of delays, Enel announced that it was shelving the project, due to market conditions. News reports at the time indicated that Enel had recently renewed permits for the project for another 52 months and remained interested in selling the project to another buyer.[11]
Talk of reviving the project with Chinese support briefly resurfaced in March 2019, following Chinese president Xi Jinping's visit to Sicily.[12][13][14] However, local opposition to the project remained strong, with organizations such as Legambiente, Arci Sicilia, Cittadinanzattiva, Mareamico, Italia Nostra and Green Italia objecting to the terminal both for its environmental consequences and its potential negative impact on the tourism economy of neighboring Agrigento, which is home to Sicily's most famous Greek temples.[12][13][15][16]
While there has been no news of subsequent developments, the Porto Empedocle terminal's original September 2008 permit[17] reportedly remained in effect as of March 2019[15], and the project continues to be mentioned in official industry reports. The most recent 10-year plan from Italian gas company Snam lists the Porto Empedocle terminal as "already authorized"[18], and the International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers (GIIGNL) 2020 Annual Report states that "Nuove Energie, a company owned by Enel Global Trading, continues to develop an LNG regasification terminal in the industrial area of Porto Empedocle, Sicily. With a nominal send-out capacity of 6 mtpa, the project is fully authorized."[19]
As of March 2022, the project appeared to be shelved. It was not mentioned in the GIIGNL 2021 Annual Report. In addition, reporting in Italian media in March 2019 referred to a single Facebook message that the project would be developed, a claim which was rejected by a local mayor who said that any such proposal would be rejected by the local municipality.[20]
As a result of crisis moves around Europe to get off Russian gas following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Enel said that it was prepared to revive the Porto Empedocle project, and claimed that the project "is fully permitted".[21] It was reported in May 2022 that the Italian government was in favour of the project. Enel estimated that it would take approximately three years to build the project at a cost of €1 billion.[22]
In November 2023, Italy passed a law that deems “strategic interventions of public utility" as "non-deferrable and urgent” in Porto Empedocle LNG Terminal and Gioia Tauro LNG Terminal and would accelerate the two projects.[23]
As of July 2026, there have not been any further updates about the project, and it is considered to be shelved.
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
- ↑ https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%B016'58.7%22N+13%C2%B032'15.9%22E/@37.28297,13.5351651,919m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d37.28297!4d13.53774?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcwOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 http://killajoules.wikidot.com/archive:enel-and-the-region-of-sicily-sign-protocol-of-under.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/exclusive-enel-ready-resume-lng-project-southern-italy-2022-03-08/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.fticonsulting.com/emea/-/media/files/emea--files/insights/white-papers/2022/may/new-lng-regasification-terminals-europe.pdf?rev=874e45a5757d45538a6b06f9ed0c1816&hash=1DEB35FF12B7E6BCF928778C383302A9.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://www.corriere.it/economia/consumi/22_maggio_04/rigassificatori-dove-saranno-porto-empedocle-gioia-tauro-sardegna-e2ccaf68-cac5-11ec-84d1-341c28840c78.shtml.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ http://bit.ly/2lZpjBX.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://giignl.org/sites/default/files/PUBLIC_AREA/Publications/giignl_-_2020_annual_report_-_04082020.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Enel acquires control of Porto Empedocle regasification terminal, Enel press release, 6 July 2007 ("Enel Trade has completed the acquisition of 90% of Nuove Energie Srl").
- ↑ ENEL and the Region of Sicily Sign Protocol of Understanding for Energy Development on the Island, Killajoules, 6 Aug. 2009.
- ↑ Enel sees Sicily LNG terminal operating in 2015, Reuters, Feb. 8, 2011
- ↑ L'Enel ha deciso e rinuncia al rigassificatore di Porto Empedocle, La Sicilia, 17 July 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "PORTO EMPEDOCLE TERMINAL PER FORNITURA GAS: NO DI ITALIA NOSTRA". Corriere di Sciacca. March 28, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Un rigassificatore a Porto Empedocle? Mareamico: "Vogliamo le carte"". Agrigento Notizie. March 28, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Dalle ombre del passato riemerge il progetto del Rigassificatore di Porto Empedocle... in salsa cinese?". I Nuovi Vespri. April 1, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Rigassificatore di Porto Empedocle, "tiene" l'autorizzazione paesaggistica della struttura". Agrigento Notizie. March 11, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Green Italia contro il rigassificatore di Porto Empedocle e a Agrigento". Green Italia. Archived from the original on 2025-03-28. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
- ↑ "Terminale di rigassificazione GNL di Porto Empedocle (AG): adeguamento opere marittime portuali connesse alla realizzazione dell'impianto - Documentazione - Valutazioni e Autorizzazioni Ambientali - VAS - VIA - AIA". Minambiente. September 29, 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Piano decennale di sviluppo della rete di trasporto del gas naturale 2020-2029" (PDF). Snam Rete Gas S.p.A. January 31, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ The LNG Industry: Annual Report 2020, page 46, International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers, accessed April 29, 2020
- ↑ Un rigassificatore a Porto Empedocle? Infuria la polemica contro l'amministrazione, Agrigento Notizie, Mar. 26, 2019
- ↑ Stephen Jewkes and Angelo Amante, EXCLUSIVE - Enel ready to resume LNG plan as Italy steps up gas hunt, Reuters, Mar. 8, 2022
- ↑ Fausta Chiesa,Rigassificatori, dove saranno: Porto Empedocle, Gioia Tauro e Sardegna, Corriere Della Serra, May 4 2022
- ↑ Reuters. Italy approves measures to boost energy security, renewable power. November 27, 2023.
