Before a prominent politician visit, climate activists occupy the construction site for the planned gas import terminal in Wilhelmshaven. The authorities were prepared – but in a different place.
Several hundred climate activists protested in Wilhelmshaven against the planned import terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG). The group “Ende Gelände” announced that the construction site was occupied on Friday morning. This is an act of civil disobedience “against the planned expansion of fossil gas infrastructure”.
The activists sat on construction vehicles and building materials, manned a crane and displayed banners with slogans such as “Clean gas is a lie”. Many of them wore white hazmat suits and green masks. In the late afternoon, according to the police, the activists peacefully moved to the train station and left.
Prime Minister Weil: “Not just any project”
The protest came shortly before a long-planned visit to the construction site by Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil, Environment Minister Olaf Lies (both SPD) and the CEO of the energy company and terminal operator Uniper, Klaus-Dieter Maubach. The departure point of her trip by boat to the pier has been postponed because of the protests. There was no direct encounter with the climate activists.
Weil showed understanding for the demonstrators, but at the same time emphasized the importance of the project for energy security in Germany. “I really have respect for everyone who is committed to environmental and conservation issues. I’m just asking those who are currently protesting to consider what this is about,” Weil said. “This is not just any project. There is a lot at stake for our society as a whole and for social cohesion.” In view of an impending energy shortage, it must be prevented that people sit in cold apartments in winter and that production is shut down.
Protesters: “No fossil rollback with us”
The police spoke of 200 to 300 participants at two locations: the port of Jade-Weser-Port and Hooksiel, where a pipeline to connect to the gas transmission network is to be built. The demonstration was not registered. “Ende Gelände” spoke of up to 400 participants. “The state of Lower Saxony is building the liquid gas terminal in Wilhelmshaven together with Uniper. This makes it clear how closely intertwined politics and corporations are,” said activist Luka Scott from “Ende Gelände”. “Profit interests are always the top priority. But we are already there and are showing that there will be no fossil rollback with us.” The group will take a firm stand against it and prevent the construction of LNG terminals.
According to the police, three cases of damage to property were recorded by the afternoon, with slight damage to construction vehicles. Otherwise, the protest was “relatively quiet and peaceful”. According to the police, no work was planned on the construction site on Friday. An eviction is not initially being considered, said a police spokesman. He did not say how many police officers were on duty. Activist Scott described the situation as “quiet and relaxed”.
The Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior announced that the activists were participants in a climate protest camp in Hamburg from the left spectrum, who set off in several buses in the morning. A demonstration was originally registered in Stade, where an LNG terminal is also to be built, but the buses then went to Wilhelmshaven. The police are still in action with sufficient forces.
LNG terminal is scheduled to start operations this winter
Prime Minister Weil was optimistic that the investor, which is already being upgraded to import liquefied natural gas (LNG), will be ready by the end of the year. “We will certainly continue to work at full speed as far as the authorities are concerned,” Weil said. So far, there has been no legal process disrupting the schedule.
The LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven is scheduled to start operations this winter. It is planned to feed the delivered liquefied natural gas into the German gas grid via a pipeline, which is also still to be built, from December 23rd after its conversion into gaseous form. This is intended to reduce Germany’s dependence on gas supplies from Russia.
The aim is to handle up to 7.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year – that’s about 8.5 percent of Germany’s gas requirements. Lower Saxony’s energy minister, Lies, is also hoping for a second terminal in Wilhelmshaven, which he estimates could take on LNG by 2023.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
