Greenpeace France activists protested against the arrival of TotalEnergies Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) floating terminal, the FSRU Cape Ann.
The 280 metres long floating LNG terminal started service on 15th September, purportedly to ensure France’s energy security during the war caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the French government.
This LNG terminal is yet another blatant example of ‘shock doctrine,’ where gas operators shifted their public messaging and lobbying from ‘energy transition’ to ‘energy security’ and cynically used the opportunity after the energy supply concerns triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine to frighten governments into massive, unneeded investment into and expansion of fossil gas imports and infrastructure.
..said Hélène Bourges, oil, transport and ocean campaigner at Greenpeace France.
At sea, Greenpeace activists painted the message “Gas Kills” on the hull of the Cape Ann, while activists on board canoes and kayaks carried banners reading “Total: shale dealer”, “Macron: shale dealer” and “End Fossil Crimes”.
According to investigative reports by Greenpeace France, the gas intended to supply this terminal comes largely from US shale gas, in contradiction with France’s own policy that bans fracking on its territory because the technology is harmful to the climate and has deadly impacts on the health of local populations in sourcing areas (see Impacts of LNG section).
In February 2022, French President Macron committed to making France the first major nation to abandon fossil fuels. Yet, the LNG terminal in Le Havre LNG is instead expected to increase imports of liquefied natural gas into France and will notably fuel a logic of increasing the production of shale gas in the United States.
A recent investigation by Disclose and Greenpeace France called into question the usefulness of this LNG terminal for the energy sovereignty of France and its European neighbours and showed that this infrastructure is unneeded, even in the event of a cold winter, contrary to what the French Ministry of Energy Transition claims.
