Modernising a strategic energy facility for France
Elengy is undertaking a major transformation of its Montoir-de-Bretagne LNG terminal through the ULYSSE project. Located in the Nantes Saint-Nazaire port on France’s Atlantic coast, the terminal has been operating since 1980 and has handled more than 3,000 LNG carriers over 45 years. Today, it is one of Europe’s busiest LNG terminals and plays a strategic role in France’s energy supply, with an annual send-out capacity of 10 billion cubic metres of natural gas. During the recent European energy supply crises, its regasification capacity notably enabled the terminal to supply the equivalent of more than a quarter of France’s annual gas consumption.
Following several decades of operation, ULYSSE marks a new chapter in the terminal’s development. The project entered its implementation phase in 2026 following approval by the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE). The programme will modernise and refurbish the terminal’s regasification facilities, which convert LNG, transported by ship at around -160°C, back into gaseous form before it is injected into the national gas transmission network.
At the heart of the project is the replacement of existing combustion-based regasification equipment with two new units using water from the Loire River, drawn and subsequently discharged by the neighbouring SPEM power plant. Existing facilities will also undergo extensive refurbishment and modernisation.
A major reduction in CO₂ emissions
The new equipment will allow the terminal to cut CO₂ emissions by more than 30,000 tonnes a year, representing almost 80% of direct emissions from regasification and approximately 45% of the site’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
This annual reduction is equivalent to the emissions from approximately 15,000 return flights between Paris and New York.
ULYSSE also represents a major industrial investment that will help maintain the terminal’s long-term operational performance and prepare the facility for the decades ahead.
Beyond the investment in infrastructure, the project will mobilise Elengy teams, partner companies and the region’s wider industrial ecosystem. At the peak of construction, more than 170 people will be working on site simultaneously.
Work will continue until 2030, while the terminal remains operational.
Supporting security of energy supply while preparing tomorrow’s infrastructure
Against a backdrop of continued international uncertainty, robust, flexible and modern energy infrastructure remains critical.
ULYSSE will help preserve France’s ability to diversify its energy supplies and strengthen security of supply, while significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the terminal’s operations.
