French LNG terminal operator Elengy has launched a new service for loading bio-LNG into trucks and small LNG carriers at its terminals in Fos-sur-Mer and Montoir-de-Bretagne.
After carrying out the first tests with its customers, Elengy launched a new offer. It calls this biomethane liquefaction by equivalence.
According to Elengy, European regulation 2022/996, voted in 2022, made it possible to decide on the implementation of liquefaction by equivalence of European LNG terminals.
Elengy said the biomethane injected into the gas network can thus be transformed into bio-LNG by equivalence without volume limitation. This optimizes the existing infrastructure.
Moreover, Elengy terminals obtained ISCC certification as a “liquefaction plant” in November 2024, the firm said.
The ISCC (international sustainability and carbon certification) is a certification system that guarantees through regular audits throughout the biomethane supply chain that the strictest standards are met, Elengy said.
Thanks to the new European regulation and the obtaining of this certification, Elengy can now convert biomethane proof of sustainability transmitted by the customer into bio-LNG SOPs. They do this by performing equivalence liquefaction for loading of tankers and loading of small-scale LNG carriers.
Also, the proofs of sustainability, valid throughout Europe, carry information on the sustainability of inputs, processes, and carbon content.
Elengy said they will become the main traceability tool for gaseous biofuels.
In concrete terms, Elengy will receive proof of biomethane sustainability with the terminal as its destination. They will provide one or more proofs of bio-LNG sustainability up to the volumes loaded into tanks or micro-LNG carriers, the firm said.
Elengy’s customers will be able to use bio-LNG for various uses. These include the decarbonization of heavy and maritime mobility or for the decarbonization of industrial processes.
Biomethane on the rise in France
Biomethane is obtained from the purification of biogas. Biogas is produced by the anaerobic digestion of organic material, such as agricultural residues or municipal waste.
In France, it is a rapidly developing energy source with nearly 750 sites injecting throughout the country, according to Elengy.
As for bio-LNG by equivalence, it makes it possible to distribute biomethane very efficiently. It is for users for whom decarbonization is the most complex, including maritime mobility, heavy road mobility, and isolated industrial sites.
“The new bio-LNG service reinforces Elengy’s desire to continue the transformation of its terminals into true decarbonization hubs. It establishes Elengy as a real player in the decarbonization of the land and maritime heavy mobility sector,” the firm said.
Elengy operates the Fos Cavaou facility and the Fos Tonkin facility on the Mediterranean coast. It also operates the Montoir-de-Bretagne facility on the Atlantic coast.
These terminals have a combined regasification capacity of some 21.5 bcm per year.
In addition to these three facilities, France also has the Dunkirk onshore LNG terminal and the Le Havre FSRU-based LNG import terminal. (March 25, 2025, Source: https://lngprime.com/europe/frances-elengy-in-bio-lng-move/145947/)
FRANCE - BIOMETHANE - SUPPLIES - IMPORTS - EXPORTS