Factbox: Germany builds up LNG import terminals

KN Energies AB

19/11/2024 11:50

(Updates with links to gas transit story, court validating
Lubmin's permits, electrolysis plans at Stade and Wilhelmshaven)
       Nov 19 (Reuters) - Germany is expanding its natural gas
import options to replace Russian supply, whose suspension on
the route to Austria has set European energy markets on edge,
and as part of its decarbonisation efforts.
    Below are details on terminals being developed to host
floating storage regasification units (FSRUs) to receive
seaborne 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) has 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 was
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 
($1.1 billion).
    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.
    A separate, Buss-led, consortium is nurturing plans for a
100 megawatt (MW) electrolysis plant, to be decided on in 2026,
it said on Nov. 18.

    WILHELMSHAVEN
    Utility Uniper  UN01.DE  launched Germany's first FSRU
operation, Wilhelmshaven 1, on the North Sea, in 2022.
 LNG/TKUK 
    Uniper plans two green gas systems in the longer term: it
will add a land-based ammonia import reception terminal and
cracker in the second half of this decade to make green
hydrogen.
    On Nov. 18, it said it had picked U.S. manufacturer Electric
Hydrogen as supplier of a 200 MW electrolyser to be fed with
local wind power.
    Another operator, Tree Energy Solutions (TES), plans to
operate the second FSRU, Wilhelmshaven 2, from winter 2024,
through to 2027, and plans to eventually convert its operations
to clean gases.
    
    BRUNSBUETTEL
    The Brunsbuettel FSRU went into operation in April 2023 on
the North Sea coast, 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 of state support.
    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
    Mukran, on Ruegen island in the Baltic Sea, will supply
onshore grids via pipeline firm Gascade's new OAL pipeline with
LNG.
    Private company Deutsche ReGas started reloading services
from the LNG tanker Coral Energy in September, using smaller
tankers to deliver LNG to locations without pipeline access.
    This followed the opening of regular operations at the site
with FSRUs Energos Power and Neptune.
    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 have been thrown out.
    
    LUBMIN
    ReGas and LNG-tanker operator Hoegh in June signed an
agreement to develop the Baltic Sea port, a forerunner of
Mukran, into an ammonia/hydrogen import terminal.
    On Oct. 14, the Federal Administrative Court backed Lubmin's
operations, throwing out a case brought by environmental group
DUH against its permit.
    Gascade has created a grid connection to the Eugal 1 and 2
onshore gas pipelines.
    ($1 = 0.9462 euros)

 (Reporting by Vera Eckert; Editing by Ros Russell and Mark
Potter)
 ((vera.eckert@thomsonreuters.com; +49 30 2201 33654;))