“We are only in the preliminary stages of talks on the issue. A clearer picture will emerge when the Qatar – Italy Joint Commission meets in Rome on June 28,” Bonino said.

HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce Yousef Hussein Kamal will lead the Qatari side at the Joint Commission meeting.

The Rovigo terminal being set up by Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil in association with Italy’s Edison at Porto Levante in the Adriatic Sea will be operational in the second half of 2008, Bonino said.

“I understand the floating terminal will be ready either in June or in September 2008. We have promised that it will be operational next year. I am sure the schedule will be maintained,” she said.

Bonino admitted there was some delay in executing the Rovigo project as some environmental issues under the Italian and EU laws needed to be sorted out.

“We have had talks with the regional and European authorities on these. We will find a solution acceptable to all concerned. In any case all procedures will be completed before the Joint Commission meet in Rome next month,” she said.

The Rovigo terminal will have an annual capacity of 8bn cu m.

Amedeo Teti, director-general at the Italian Ministry of International Trade said LNG supplies were significant for Italy to meet its growing energy needs.

“The Rovigo LNG terminal will meet about 8% of Italy’s requirements,” he said.

Currently, Italy gets piped gas from Algeria and Russia.

The supply for the Rovigo terminal will be met from RasGas Train 5 (RasGas II) which was formally inaugurated in March.

Train 5 is one of the most technologically advanced of its kind in the world and has a capacity of 4.7mn tonnes per year.

According to a contract signed between RasGas and Edison in 2005, RasGas II will supply Edison 6.4bn cu m of natural gas a year for 25 years, thus significantly contributing to diversify and increase security of Italian gas supplies.

PIN/GULFTIMES