The first LNG terminal in Germany is ready

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Economy Minister Robert Hambeck praised the speed of completion of the project, which he described as a “central building block for energy security”.

Ready – just 200 days from the start of operations – is Germany’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony. In a month, the floating natural gas storage and regasification unit will be installed there, while the first cargo is expected in mid-January.

“The early decision to choose Wilhelmshaven as a hub for LNG imports was the right one,” said Lower Saxony’s Finance Minister Olaf Liss (SPD) and explained that in a month the vessel “Höegl Esperanza”, the floating unit regasification unit (FSRU), which will take liquefied natural gas from tankers and turn it back into gas. The gas will be transported onshore and from there distributed to the German grid. According to the state government, the first LNG tanker is expected in mid-January 2023. The terminal line has a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters – from January to March, three billion cubic meters are scheduled to flow, while the annual German consumption reaches 90.

Economy Minister Robert Hambeck praised the speed of completion of the project, which he described as a “central building block for energy security”. Three more floating LNG terminals are under construction in Stande and Brunsbüttel (Schleswig-Holstein) and Lubmin (Mecklenburg – Pomerania). Last month the federal government also approved a fifth state LNG terminal, also in Wilhelmshaven, from autumn 2023. A permanent green hydrogen terminal is also planned for the same area.

The Minister of the Environment of Lower Saxony, Christian Mayer (Greens) assured for his part that the operation of the stations will not be done with discounts on environmental issues. In the past, environmental groups protested the planned construction of LNG terminals, citing the risk of toxic effluents ending up in the sea. They even asked Uniper, which will operate the station, not to clean the systems with chlorine, as the Wadden National Marine Park and swimming beaches are right next door. Mr. Meyer emphasized that there will be intensive monitoring of the procedures and noted that if the limits are exceeded, countermeasures will be taken.

However, according to the competent EU services, the fullness of Germany’s natural gas warehouses reached 100% today, while consumption has been reduced by 36% compared to the same period last year. Households and small businesses consumed 45% less – helped by the seasonally high temperatures – and industry 30%.

However, in the event of a shortage of natural gas in winter, the federal government can implement emergency measures, with the Federal Network Agency proceeding with a controlled distribution of specific quantities. Germany currently gets its natural gas mainly from Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. The latter two already have large LNG facilities.

RES-EMP

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