The technology company The Linde Group has been awarded a contract to build a natural gas terminal in the town of Emden in northern Germany. The deal is worth around €260 million. The contract was awarded by Norwegian state-owned company Gassco on behalf of Gassled joint venture.

The new natural gas terminal will replace the 1977 Norsea Gas Terminal, which is currently being operated by Gassco. The terminal will distribute natural gas from Norwegian-owned gas fields in the North Sea to Germany.

The contract covers engineering, procurement and construction for the new terminal. The project is based on the front-end engineering design (FEED) provided by Gassco. The initial work will be carried out by Linde Engineering at the Group's site in Dresden. Construction will get underway in Emden in the autumn of 2013. The facility will be pre-assembled in modules to the greatest possible extent and put together at the construction site. The new natural gas terminal is set to go on stream at the end of 2015.