Germany builds up LNG import terminals
Czech utility CEZ has booked 2 billion cubic metres (bcm) of annual capacity at a yet-to-be build land-based terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imported into Germany's Stade from 2027, spurring the build-up of transport infrastructure and securing itself future energy supplies, according to Reuters.
Germany's quest to increase LNG import capacity has intensified as it seeks to end reliance on Russian pipeline gas, on which the European region relied heavily. Pending the provision of fixed terminals, Germany is using floating storage and regasification terminals (FSRUs) to help to replace piped Russian gas supplies.
Three FSRUs are working at the Wilhelmshaven, Brunsbuettel and Lubmin ports after Germany arranged their charter and onshore connections. Wilhelmshaven, Stade and Mukran, a port on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen due to be connected with Lubmin on the mainland, are due to add more FSRUs for the 2023/24 winter.
Industry and the government are also building up terminal capacity in anticipation of increased use of hydrogen at the sites, which when produced using renewable energy can help the transition to a lower carbon economy. State-owned Deutsche Energy Terminal held auctions for regas capacities in 2024 at Brunsbuettel and Wilhelmshaven 1 earlier this month and plans Stade and Wilhelmshaven 2 rounds in December.
Private company Deutsche ReGas reported in August that suppliers have booked 4 billion cubic metres (bcm) of capacity for 10 years per annum at Mukran, where the company wants to pull together two FSRUs for deliveries to the mainland. It has chartered a second FSRU, the Transgas Power, with regasification capacity of 7.5 billion cubic metres (bcm), to complement the Neptune currently active at Lubmin. LNG from Mukran is aimed to flow to onshore grids via gas grid company Gascade's new pipeline from the first quarter of 2024, which obtained approval for completion from mining authorities earlier this month. The project has triggered local opposition. But two legal challenges by environmental groups DUH and Nabu were thrown out by the federal administrative court in September.
Utility Uniper launched Germany's first FSRU operations, Wilhelmshaven 1, last December at the deep-water port on the North Sea. Tree Energy Solutions (TES) will operate a second FSRU from later in 2023 for five years, Wilhelmshaven 2. Uniper plans to add a land-based ammonia reception terminal and cracker in the second half of this decade. Ammonia is at times used as a carrier for hydrogen, whose low density otherwise makes transportation over long distances complicated. TES also has plans to eventually convert its operations to clean gases.
