Groundbreaking ceremony in Stade
Construction of the first onshore LNG terminal begins
28.06.2024, 16:19
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In order to become independent of Russian gas supplies, the federal government is pushing for the construction of LNG terminals on the North and Baltic Seas. Floating terminals already exist, and these are to be replaced by three land-based terminals in the long term. The first construction work is now starting in Stade near Hamburg.
Construction of the first German LNG import terminal on land has officially begun. The terminal in Stade near Hamburg is scheduled to go into operation in 2027. Several private companies are having it built. According to them, the costs are around one billion euros. Environmental groups criticize the project because it endangers climate goals. LNG (liquefied natural gas) is liquefied natural gas.
Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil said: “I am very happy that, especially in the area of energy supply, it is being shown that Germany can move quickly, we just have to do it.” The Czech energy company CEZ has booked LNG deliveries in Stade, which is why the state’s Minister of Industry Jozef Síkela was present at the start of construction. Síkela said in German: “Every cubic meter of gas that we do not have to import from Russia is a step towards weakening Russian influence in Europe.”
The consortium Hanseatic Energy Hub (HEH), based in Hamburg, is responsible for the project in Stade. HEH includes the Hamburg port logistics company Buss Group, the Swiss private equity firm Partners Group, the Spanish grid operator Enagás and the US chemical company Dow.
Land terminals in Stade, Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel
In Germany, three LNG terminals on land are to replace floating terminals in the long term. In addition to Stade, terminals on land are planned in Wilhelmshaven (also Lower Saxony) and Brunsbüttel (Schleswig-Holstein). Construction of the terminal in Wilhelmshaven is scheduled to begin in 2026. The Federal Ministry of Economics assumes that the terminal will go into operation around mid-2028. Preparatory measures such as earthworks have been underway since March for the construction of the terminal in Brunsbüttel. The facility in Brunsbüttel is scheduled to begin regular operations in early 2027.
The fossil fuel LNG is cooled to less than minus 160 degrees Celsius at extreme temperatures and loses a large part of its volume from the gaseous state. 600 cubic meters of gaseous substance becomes one cubic meter of liquid LNG. After transport in special tankers, LNG is converted back into the gaseous state at terminals at the destination and fed into the natural gas network – or used directly as a fuel and energy source. Due to the CO2 burden from transport and combustion, the raw material is questionable in terms of climate policy. Critics also point out that more imports will lead to the expansion of the controversial US LNG and fracking industry. The project sponsors reject this.