Netherlands' Gate LNG terminal says gas send-out services partially curtailed

LONDON (Reuters) - The Netherlands' Gate terminal said on Monday that operational difficulties were curtailing its gas supply to the local grid.

"As a result, the maximum terminal send-out is reduced by 990 MWh/h until further notice," it added in a statement.

The reduction equates to just over 2 million cubic metres (mcm) per day, according to Alex Froley, an LNG analyst at data intelligence firm ICIS.

"We have seen Gate sending out gas at rates around 43 mcm/day recently, so it would be a relatively small impact on the total send-out, and not too serious if it doesn’t last for long," he added.

Gas Access to Europe (GATE) is the Netherlands' first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and opened in September 2011. It is a major port for LNG and the curtailed send-out comes as winter demand is ramping up.

LNG imports by the European Union and Britain reached a record high 11.14 million tonnes (~160 TWh) in November, according to ICIS.

(Reporting by Marwa Rashad; editing by Jason Neely and Susan Fenton)