Viva Energy announced on Tuesday via its social media that Victoria’s environmental regulator EPA has approved development licenses for its proposed gas terminal, saying this is an “important further milestone for a project that will help secure Victoria’s future gas supply.”
“This approval represents a further significant step as we progress the remaining regulatory approvals and customer and stakeholder commitments before construction of the terminal gets underway,” the company said.
“As our traditional sources of gas decline, this project will play a critical role in strengthening energy security for Victoria and south-eastern Australia, through the creation of a virtual pipeline of gas from LNG exporting facilities,” Viva Energy said.
It will ensure “reliable” gas supply for households, industry, and power generation, particularly during periods of peak demand, the company said.
In April, Viva Energy’s proposed LNG terminal in Geelong received formal approval under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
Viva Energy said the Environment Minister’s EPBC approval recognizes that the proposed LNG terminal can proceed, subject to conditions, with acceptable environmental effects.
The approval followed the Victorian government’s positive assessment of an environment effects statement for this energy infrastructure project in May last year.
FSRU
In 2022, Viva Energy entered into commercial agreements with GeelongPort for the planned FSRU-based LNG import terminal.
The deal included the construction and provision of the necessary pier and berthing infrastructure for the LNG import project.
Before that, Viva signed deals with Woodside and Hoegh LNG, now Hoegh Evi, for the planned FSRU-based terminal.
Under heads of agreements, Woodside planned to book regasification capacity while Hoegh planned to provide the FSRU for the project.
In March last year, Viva Energy engaged LNG consultant Poten & Partners to secure the project’s FSRU.
The new terminal demands a vessel with a capacity between 160,000 cbm and 180,000 cbm of gas, capable of delivering up to 750 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
