Factbox: Germany builds up LNG import terminals

KN Energies AB

08/10/2024 12:22

(Updates with Stade and Wilhelmshaven 2 due to start operating
before winter, rejigs order of sites)
       Oct 8 (Reuters) - Germany is trying to expand its
natural gas import options to replace Russian supply and as part
of its decarbonisation efforts.
    Below are details on terminals being developed to host
floating storage regasification units (FSRUs) to receive
liquefied natural gas (LNG). Plans also include shore-based
regasification terminals and facilities to import and produce
ammonia and hydrogen.
    
    STADE
    State-owned Deutsche Energy Terminal (DET) said in German
media reports that FSRUs at both Stade and Wilhelmshaven 2 will
start operations before the winter, without specifying precise
commissioning dates.
    On June 28, developers at the Elbe river inland port of
Stade formally inaugurated a land-based "ammonia ready" terminal
for start in 2027, for which a final investment decision had
been taken by Hanseatic Energy Hub (HEH) in March.
    The FSRU Energos Force arrived on March 15 and is expected
to operate until 2027, ahead of the onshore terminal starting
operations.
    The onshore terminal, to be built by Spain's Tecnicas
Reunidas  TRE.MC , is expected to cost around 1 billion euros.
    Gas to arrive there has been allocated to state-controlled
SEFE, utility EnBW  EBKG.DE  and Czech utility CEZ  CEZP.PR .
    HEH is backed by investment firm Partners Group  PGHN.S ,
logistics group Buss, chemicals company Dow  DOW.N  and Spanish
grid operator Enagas.

    WILHELMSHAVEN
    Utility Uniper  UN01.DE  launched Germany's first FSRU
operation, Wilhelmshaven 1, in 2022 on the North Sea.  LNG/TKUK 
    Uniper also plans to add a land-based ammonia reception
terminal and cracker in the second half of this decade. 
    Another operator, Tree Energy Solutions (TES), plans to
operate the second FSRU, Wilhelmshaven 2, from winter 2024, as
now foreshadowed by DET, through to 2027, and plans to
eventually convert its operations to clean gases.
    
    BRUNSBUETTEL
    The Brunsbuettel FSRU went into operation in April 2023 at
the North Sea site, initially chartered and operated by utility
RWE's  RWEG.DE  trading arm before it was handed over to DET at
the start of 2024.
    It is the forerunner of a land-based LNG facility which has
been cleared to receive 40 million euros ($44 million) of state
support, and for which ground-laying work has started.
    It could start operations at the end of 2026, when a newly
inaugurated, adjacent, ammonia terminal could also start up.
    State bank KfW, Gasunie and RWE are stakeholders and Shell
 SHEL.L  has committed to sizeable purchases.

    MUKRAN
    Private company Deutsche ReGas started reloading services
from the LNG tanker Coral Energy on Sept. 17, using smaller
tankers to deliver LNG to locations without pipeline access.
    This followed the Sept. 2 opening of regular operations at
the site with FSRUs Energos Power and Neptune.
    Mukran, on Ruegen island in the Baltic Sea, will supply
onshore grids via pipeline firm Gascade's new OAL pipeline with
LNG. 
    Gascade completed the 50 km (30 miles) infrastructure in
February and feed-in is possible, with existing onshore
pipelines NEL and EUGAL offering long-distance transport.
    ReGas holds long-term supply deals with France's
TotalEnergies  TTEF.PA  and trading group MET.
    The Mukran project has triggered local opposition, but 
legal challenges to commercial operations by environmental
groups DUH and Nabu have been thrown out by German courts.
    
    LUBMIN
    ReGas and Hoegh, which runs a fleet of LNG tankers, on June
28 signed an agreement to develop a hydrogen import terminal at
the Baltic Sea port, a forerunner of operations at Mukran.
    From 2026, the two plan to operate a conversion process from
cracking imported green ammonia to producing green hydrogen to
be fed into Germany's hydrogen core network.
    ReGas has ended shuttling imported LNG to Lubmin, which it
had began early in 2023, in favour of Mukran.
    ReGas also plans hydrogen electrolysis plants at both Lubmin
and Mukran.
    Gascade has created a grid connection to the Eugal 1 and 2
onshore gas pipelines for a green hydrogen production project at
Lubmin, pursued by startup developer HH2E, which is raising
funds and ordering equipment ahead of final investment
decisions. 
    Gascade will be able to transport both gas and hydrogen
blends.


($1 = 0.9107 euros)

 (Reporting by Vera Eckert; Editing by David Holmes, Tomasz
Janowski and Ros Russell)
 ((vera.eckert@thomsonreuters.com; +49 30 2201 33654;))