DESFA recently completed the development of the LNG Storage and Gasification Station facilities designed to supply the Central and Western Macedonia regions. The new LNG Station, which is the first regional LNG storage and gasification station to supply a local natural gas network in Greece, was officially inaugurated by DESFA on Friday, July 12, in Aspro of Pella Regional Unit.
The LNG Station in Aspro developed by DESFA provides yet another reliable and sustainable energy option to a number of new areas and users in the wider region of Central and Western Macedonia, enhancing local industrial competitiveness and combating energy isolation. Among the first users benefiting from the new facility are the canned fruit and vegetable company "Kronos", the industry “Danais S.A.”, and the General Hospital of Edessa, as well as the Distribution Stations for the supply of the low-pressure gas network for the cities of Skydra and Edessa. Hengas will be the operator of the natural gas distribution networks in these cities.
The LNG Station will serve the region until the Western Macedonia Pipeline, DESFA's key project, is operational. This pipeline will facilitate the transition of Central and Western Macedonia to the post-lignite era, offering initial access to natural gas, followed by hydrogen and other renewable gases. This type of facility is reusable and can be moved to other areas that do not yet have access to the natural gas network.
The newly established infrastructure forms a crucial part of DESFA's Small Scale LNG infrastructures value chain. Recently, the Revithoussa LNG Truck Loading Station, the first such facility in Southeast Europe, completed 104 LNG Truck Loadings since the start of its commercial operation in November 2023, safely supplying remote users and industrial facilities in Greece and the wider region with over 4,675.00 m³ of LNG or 30,139 MWh of equivalent energy.
The LNG storage and regasification facility in Aspro is the first of several planned facilities by DESFA to be implemented in the near future, as outlined in the company’s Ten-Year Development Program 2023-2032.
Greetings during the ceremony were addressed by the Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food, Dionysios Stamenitis, the MPs of Pella Vasilios (Lakis) Vassiliadis and Theodora Tzakri, the Deputy Regional Governor of Pella, Iordanis Tzatmtzis, the Mayor of Skydra, Katerina Ignatiadou, the Asset Development Division Director of DESFA, Ioannis Chomatas, the President & CEO of Engas, Vasiliki (Vicky)
Lampropoulou, as well as by representatives of the companies that undertook the construction of the station, Andrea Barbieri, General Manager of Tecnogas and Anestis Angelidis, CEO of Promethan.
In the context of the event, the CEO of DESFA, Maria Rita Galli, said: “The new LNG Station in Aspro gives direct access to natural gas in Central and Western Macedonia, significantly enhancing the competitiveness of the local industry and improving its carbon footprint. It belongs to a new generation of gas infrastructure that allows natural gas to penetrate new areas and markets in a flexible and cost-effective way, and can also be used for biomethane, helping to promote the circular economy. We are proud that through our infrastructure, we provide reliable energy solutions so that energy reaches everywhere, while allowing Central and Western Macedonia to be among the first regions to leverage the potential of renewable gases, opening new opportunities for sustainable growth."
