Page 5 - GLNG Week 09 2023

GLNG COMMENTARY GLNG

The Stade LNG terminal
plan in Germany.

Wilhelmshaven’s second FSRU along with Sta- European nations, Finland opened an FLNG
de’s FSRU and Lubmin’s second floating terminal terminal in December, while the Netherlands
are all expected to come online. Wilhelmshaven is seeking to expand import capacity at its two
will use the 138,000-cubic metre Excelsior ves- existing terminals.
sel, while Stade and Lubmin will use Dynagas’s However, as Germany pushes ahead at break-
Transgas Force and Transgas Power vessels, both neck pace with construction of LNG terminals,
of which are 174,000 cubic metres. With these some environmental groups have expressed crit-
additions, Germany projects its LNG import icism of the country’s energy plan, arguing that
capacity will top 37 bcm per year in 2024. LNG is being given an oversized role in place of
renewable energy in filling the supply gap.
Regional hub In October, environmental group DUH sub-
Neighbouring a handful of landlocked coun- mitted a formal objection to Uniper’s FLNG
tries, an opportunity has emerged for Germany terminal in Wilhelmshaven, saying there were
to assume the role of an LNG hub in central deficiencies in emissions protection, water
Europe. With Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and rights, and accidents law, while also adding that
Czechia all unable to build domestic LNG the project was in violation of the country’s cli-
import capacity, an opportunity has presented mate protection law.
itself for Germany to capitalise on, and Klaus Germany has committed to ending use of
Muller, president of German energy regulator fossil fuels by 2035 and has defended the con-
Bnetza, has acknowledged the unique position struction of the LNG terminals by announcing
Germany will soon find itself in. plans to morph each terminal into green hydro-
The opportunity to serve as an LNG import gen hubs to handle imports of carbon-free fuels
hub in Europe is being noticed by other coun- such as green hydrogen and ammonia and be
tries as well. In the Baltics, a number of steps have able to accommodate electrolysis to produce
been taken to bolster their LNG infrastructure green gases by harnessing renewable energy.
and develop pipeline interconnections between Tree Energy Solutions (TES), which part-
countries, while a new terminal is also planned ners with E.ON and utility EWE at Wilhelms-
at Latvia’s port of Skulte. haven, told Bloomberg that the terminal will
Poland has also acknowledged that it will in 2027 move on to processing zero-emission
seek to increase LNG import capacity to serve synthetic methane. The company has plans
growing demand from Czechia and Slovakia. It further down the road to produce over 5mn
is currently expanding its Swinoujscie terminal tonnes of hydrogen by 2045, which would
to 8.3 bcm, while it also has plans for an FSRU equate to roughly 10% of the country’s total
at the port of Gdansk. Meanwhile, among other yearly energy demand. ™

Week 09 03•March•2023 www. NEWSBASE .com P5