PARIS, July 8 - France's GDF Suez (GSZ.PA) liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in southern France will start operating at the end of 2009, two and a half years after the scheduled start date, the regulator CRE said on Wednesday.
"It is delayed to the end of the second half of 2009," a CRE official, who declined to be named, told Reuters.
GDF Suez said a cargo used to cool facilities at the terminal would arrive there in the next few weeks and that operations were expected to start somewhere between now and the end of 2009.
"You have to be realistic because this is big infrastructure, which demands a lot of precaution and we have to take the time for the terminal to be standard," the CRE official said, adding the project was in its final phase.
The project was originally expected to start in June 2007, but a piping accident delayed the start date to June 2009.
The terminal will have a regasification capacity of 8.25 billion cubic metres.
GDF Suez owns 69.7 percent of the terminal while Total (TOTF.PA) owns the remaining 30.3 percent.
"It is delayed to the end of the second half of 2009," a CRE official, who declined to be named, told Reuters.
GDF Suez said a cargo used to cool facilities at the terminal would arrive there in the next few weeks and that operations were expected to start somewhere between now and the end of 2009.
"You have to be realistic because this is big infrastructure, which demands a lot of precaution and we have to take the time for the terminal to be standard," the CRE official said, adding the project was in its final phase.
The project was originally expected to start in June 2007, but a piping accident delayed the start date to June 2009.
The terminal will have a regasification capacity of 8.25 billion cubic metres.
GDF Suez owns 69.7 percent of the terminal while Total (TOTF.PA) owns the remaining 30.3 percent.
