A floating LNG terminal is also to be built in the Hanseatic city.
(Photo: dpa)
Hamburg The federal government has budgeted 2.94 billion euros for the procurement of four floating liquid gas terminals. This emerges from the second progress report on energy security, which the Ministry of Economic Affairs published on Sunday. “The corresponding contracts are on the home straight,” it said. Commissioning of the facilities for LNG landing and regasification is planned as soon as possible via the companies RWE and Uniper.
Two location decisions have already been made in favor of Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel. The work in Wilhelmshaven will start shortly and should be completed this year. Commissioning in Brunsbüttel is planned for early 2023.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) recently stepped up the pace to reduce dependence on Russian natural gas. The four terminals should contribute to this.
According to the ministry, Stade, Rostock, Hamburg-Moorburg or Eemshaven in the Netherlands could be considered as further locations for stationing a floating LNG plant. A floating LNG terminal could go into operation in Hamburg by the end of the year, Mayor Peter Tschentscher told the “Welt”. “The capacity is eight billion cubic meters of gas per year.”
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The city has previously announced that it supports German Economics Minister Habeck’s proposal to look for sites for floating LNG terminals. “With our well-developed natural gas network in the port area, the line construction measures could probably be comparatively small,” the city administration explained.
According to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, an LNG Acceleration Act is also planned, which will temporarily enable the approval authorities under certain conditions to refrain from procedural requirements such as environmental compatibility tests. This should allow for faster construction.
It is also necessary to connect the floating LNG terminals to the gas network. The floating plants should enable faster independence from Russian pipeline gas and bridge the time until stationary plants can be built.
26 km long pipeline to Wilhelmshaven
The planning approval procedure for the future pipeline connection of the planned liquefied natural gas terminal in Wilhelmshaven has already begun. The application for planning approval was received on Friday, said the responsible approval authority, the State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG) in Hanover.
The application documents can be viewed on the Internet and in the municipalities concerned from May 5th. Objections to the project can be submitted within a period of one month.
The gas network operator Open Grid Europe (OGE) wants to build the 26-kilometer underground pipeline – from the planned LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven to the next connection to the gas pipeline network in Etzel, East Frisia.
The pipeline also stands and falls when LNG can be landed in Wilhelmshaven. The first preparatory work for a floating import terminal is scheduled to begin there next week. According to earlier information, Open Grid Europe expects the construction of the pipeline to start in August.
If no lawsuit is filed against the project or if there are delays, the line could be completed by the end of 2022. According to the state government, LNG should be imported via Wilhelmshaven by the beginning of 2023 at the latest.
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