start test runs
LNG terminals are approaching normal operation
12/21/2022, 6:36 p.m
Next winter, Germany wants to cover up to a third of its gas needs with LNG. Some of the systems, which were set up in record time, are now being subjected to final tests. Meanwhile, the Federal Network Agency warns against false hopes – the situation will remain tense for months.
In an effort to ensure adequate gas supply despite the lack of Russian supplies, the first two German terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) have started test operations or are about to do so. According to the gas importer Uniper, gas was fed in for the first time in the morning in Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony. During the course of the day, the terminal in Lubmin in Western Pomerania received approval for test operation from the responsible state authority. “We’re starting now,” said Stephan Knabe from Deutsche Regas, which is behind the Lubminer Terminal. He was unable to say when the first gas would be fed into the network during the tests, but it may be this year.
The tanker “Seapeak Hispania” with 140,000 cubic meters of Egyptian LNG for Lubmin arrived off Rügen in the early morning. The responsible State Minister for the Environment, Till Backhaus, announced that the approval process for actual operation would be completed in January.
Commercial operation of the terminal in Wilhelmshaven is expected from mid-January. “The next milestone is the arrival of the first LNG ship in mid-January,” said Uniper manager Holger Kreetz. The gas that has already been fed in comes from the special ship “Höegh Esperanza”. It reached its place of use last Thursday fully loaded with around 165,000 cubic meters of LNG on board.
50,000 to 80,000 households
The ship is the technical heart of the terminal, which regasses the liquefied gas that is delivered and pumps it back to shore. According to Uniper, the amount of LNG that the ship has on board is enough to supply 50,000 to 80,000 households in Germany for a year. A similar special ship is used as a floating terminal in Lubmin. Originally, Uniper had planned to feed gas into the German gas grid for the first time on December 22nd. According to a Uniper spokesman, the fact that things are going faster now is due to the close cooperation between authorities and companies in the realization of the terminal.
According to market reports, the ship will deliver between 15 and 155 gigawatt hours of natural gas into the gas network every day during the commissioning phase. In addition to Wilhelmshaven and Lubmin, another floating terminal is due to reach its location in Brunsbüttel in Schleswig-Holstein. Others are to follow and contribute to security of supply. Overall, Germany intends to cover up to a third of its current gas requirements via the floating LNG terminals in the winter of 2023/24.
“The danger looms again next winter!”
With a view to the coming winter, the head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, has warned of a gas shortage. “My concern is that in the spring everyone was exhausted and happy that the catastrophe of a gas shortage did not occur,” he told Die Zeit. He announced: “But I will remind you all summer: the danger is looming again next winter!”
According to him, more gas is saved in the Netherlands and the Baltic States than in Germany. Some German companies have also switched back to gas because it has become cheaper again. It’s important to keep saving. However, despite the recent cold snap, Müller considers the current gas supply in Germany to be secure. “We started with storage tanks full to the brim and had a mild October and November, with significantly lower consumption than in previous years. That compensates for the surprisingly icy December,” said Müller.