Finance
TotalEnergies to relocate Le Havre floating LNG terminal after French court ruling
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 25, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Quick Summary
TotalEnergies will move its LNG terminal from Le Havre after a French court deemed it unnecessary due to stabilized gas supply in Europe.
TotalEnergies to Shift Le Havre LNG Terminal Post-Court Ruling
By America Hernandez
PARIS (Reuters) -French oil major TotalEnergies will relocate its floating LNG storage and regasification unit currently stationed in northwest France, it said on Tuesday.
The FSRU, which has a capacity of 5 billion cubic metres, or 10% of French gas demand, was stationed at the port of Le Havre in 2023 at the French government's request as part of efforts to ensure enough LNG to meet demand after the loss of Russian gas supplies to Europe following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
"Now that gas supply conditions in France and Europe have stabilised ... the floating LNG terminal in Le Havre is no longer necessary, as evidenced by its lack of use and as observed by the Rouen administrative court in its decision of October 16," the statement reads.
The company declined to comment on the FSRU's next location.
Last year a French NGO, Association Ecologie pour Le Havre, petitioned France's energy minister to revoke the decree authorising the terminal's presence at the port, but received no response.
It then appealed to the Rouen court, which last month revoked the decree, finding that the emergency situation requiring extra gas import capacity no longer existed.
TotalEnergies said dismantling existing port installations would take about six months.
(Reporting by America Hernandez in Paris;Editing by David Goodman and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Key Takeaways
- •TotalEnergies to relocate its floating LNG terminal.
- •The terminal was initially stationed at Le Havre in 2023.
- •French court ruled the terminal is no longer necessary.
- •Dismantling of port installations will take six months.
- •The next location for the FSRU is yet to be decided.
Frequently Asked Questions about TotalEnergies to relocate Le Havre floating LNG terminal after French court ruling
1What is LNG?
LNG stands for liquefied natural gas, which is natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state for ease of storage and transport.
2What is a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU)?
An FSRU is a specialized vessel that stores liquefied natural gas and converts it back into gas for distribution.
3What is the significance of the Rouen administrative court's decision?
The Rouen court ruled that the emergency situation requiring the floating LNG terminal was no longer present, leading to its relocation.
