Wedoany.com Report-Oct. 22, Qatar’s state-owned energy company, QatarEnergy, has begun using liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and regasification capacity at the Isle of Grain terminal in the UK, Europe’s largest LNG regasification facility, located east of London. The utilization began in July 2025 under a long-term agreement signed in October 2020, covering up to 7.2 million tons per annum of LNG.

The first LNG cargo under the deal was unloaded on July 15, marking the start of the 25-year agreement. QatarEnergy highlighted that using the Isle of Grain terminal complements the capacities of its wholly owned subsidiary, QatarEnergy Trading, at Zeebrugge in Belgium and Montoir in France. The firm said: “Commencing the utilization of the Isle of Grain’s terminal capacity reinforces our commitment to providing reliable LNG supplies across Europe, while enhancing the flexibility of our global LNG portfolio and supporting the rapid growth of our business.”

Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy President and CEO, commented: “We are pleased to commence utilization of the LNG storage, and regasification capacity at the Isle of Grain terminal. This is an important milestone, which expands our LNG storage portfolio, and marks a significant step in QatarEnergy’s strategic expansion into the UK gas market through Europe’s largest LNG receiving terminal.”

The Isle of Grain terminal, primarily serving strong investment-grade customers under long-term, inflation-linked contracts, provides LNG storage and regasification services. It has an annual regasification capacity of 21.7 billion cubic meters (bcm) and tank storage of 1 million cubic meters. An ongoing expansion will add 5.3 bcm of regasification capacity and 200,000 cubic meters of storage, allowing the terminal to supply up to a third of the UK’s gas demand. The facility also supports ship reloading, transshipment, and road tanker loading.

Recently, Centrica and Energy Capital Partners, part of the Bridgeport Group, moved to acquire the terminal from the National Grid group, the UK electricity and gas utility. The Isle of Grain terminal’s customer base includes Centrica, QatarEnergy, TotalEnergies, Venture Global, Sonatrach, Shell, and Uniper. The facility is 100% contracted until 2029, over 70% contracted until 2038, and more than 50% contracted through 2045.

QatarEnergy’s use of the Isle of Grain terminal is part of its strategy to strengthen LNG supply to Europe while enhancing storage and regasification flexibility. By integrating the UK terminal with existing capacities in Belgium and France, the company aims to secure reliable LNG access for European markets and support the expansion of its global LNG operations.

The terminal’s expansion and long-term contracts underline its strategic importance for Europe’s energy security, enabling QatarEnergy and other partners to provide stable LNG supply while supporting infrastructure growth and meeting future gas demand efficiently.