France rejects Dutch 4Gas' LNG terminal project

BORDEAUX, France, Dec 3 (Reuters) - French authorities rejected on Wednesday a project by Dutch liquefied natural gas terminal operator 4Gas to build a terminal in Verdon-sur-Mer in southern France as it failed to meet environmental criteria.

The project was dismissed notably because parts of the terminal would have been built in a protected coastal zone near the Gironde estuary, a stopover for many migratory birds, an official statement said.

The project by 4Gas, one of the biggest on the French Atlantic coast, had been widely criticised by local politicians and riverside residents who expressed fears about its impact on the countryside.

The plant was originally due to start in 2012 with an annual capacity to regasify 6 to 9 billion cubic meters of gas a year. It would have included two 45-meter high tanks and a torch that could have been seen from the other side of the estuary.

4Gas, in which U.S. private equity firm The Carlyle Group [CYL.UL] has a majority stake, will be able to resubmit its proposal later if it so wishes. (Reporting by Claude Canellas, Editing by Peter Blackburn)