Energy: Third LNG terminal – start of construction for another investor

Germany has taken another step towards securing energy supply with the arrival of the third floating terminal for liquid natural gas (LNG). The terminal ship “Höegh Gannet” docked in the industrial port of Brunsbüttel at the mouth of the Elbe. At the same time, another pier for liquid gas is being built on the Lower Elbe in Stade. The terminal in Stade, which costs 300 million euros, is to go into operation next winter.

Germany relies on LNG, among other things, to replace missing Russian gas supplies. It is building its own infrastructure for this in a hurry. Overall, Germany intends to cover up to a third of its current gas requirements from the floating LNG terminals in the winter of 2023/2024. So far there are such terminals in Wilhelmshaven in Lower Saxony, in Lubmin in Western Pomerania and in Brunsbüttel in Schleswig-Holstein.

Habeck: “The next big step”

Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) spoke in Brunsbüttel about entering into a future green energy supply. Green molecules such as regeneratively produced hydrogen are the way to get out of fossil energy and displace coal. “This is the next big step.” He reminded that three floating terminals in Germany had been created within ten months.

RWE boss Markus Krebber also referred to the short time from planning to completion. This sets standards for the modernization of the energy supply. “This will also be necessary so that Germany as an industrial location can become climate-neutral as quickly as possible.” Schleswig-Holstein’s Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) said, “With the floating terminal in Brunsbüttel, we are securing our gas supply and opening up new opportunities for us in the future, such as hydrogen imports.”

Capacity for billions of cubic meters of gas

The 294 meter long and 46 meter wide “Höegh Gannet” is to take liquid gas from tankers in Brunsbüttel and convert it back into the gaseous state in order to transport it into the pipelines before the fixed terminal becomes operational. In the current year, 3.5 billion cubic meters of gas are to be fed into the network with the help of the special ship and 7.5 billion after the completion of a long connection line. The stationary terminal is scheduled for completion in 2026.

Five billion cubic meters of natural gas are to be handled in Stade every year. That corresponds to six percent of German gas consumption, said the Lower Saxony port company. The floating plant is to be used until the stationary one with a higher capacity starts work three years later. The environmental associations BUND and Nabu called for a reduction in planning for LNG terminals. These are oversized in view of the exit from fossil fuels.