Germany plans reach 70.7 million tons per year of maximum LNG import capacity by 2030. The data comes from documents from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and planning applications from the German energy company RWE. Thus, the country will become the fourth with the largest LNG import capacity by the end of the decade.
To quickly add import capacity, Germany is turning to floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs). Some of them will be replaced by land terminals that will start operating in the second half of this decade. This will position it among the four countries with the largest LNG import capacity following South Korea, China and Japan.
It is planned put into operation a total of ten FSRUs in Germany. Two will go to Wilhelmshaven, one to Brunsbuttel, one to Stade and six to Lubmin, which might become the largest LNG import cluster in Europe. Some FSRUs will go offline once land terminals at Stade, Brunsbuttel and Wilhelmshaven are built.
One located in Wilhelmshaven is already up and running and may receive 5.8 million tons per year. Then there is the terminal called Deutsche Ostsee LNG in Lubmin, which will be 3.5 million tons per year. Finally, the Elbehafen LNG terminal in 3.1 million tons per year in Brunsbuttel it will be ready to supply at the end of February.
By the end of 2023 a further three FSRUs are scheduled to become operational at state-operated terminals. Wilhelmshaven’s second FSRU called Excelsior, with a capacity of 138,000 cubic meters (m3), is scheduled to start operations in the autumn.
Stade is expected to receive its FSRU at the end of this year, and Lubmin should receive the second one between mid-October and mid-November. Stade and Lubmin will use the 174,000m3 Transgas Force, owned by the same size Dynagas and Transgas Power, although it is unclear which vessel will serve which terminal.
The tenders for allocate terminal capacity will be announced by the end of 2023, according to the documents of the ministry. Capacity for Brunsbuttel and the first Wilhelmshaven FSRU will be available from April 2024.
The private company Deutsche Regas plans add another FSRU by the end of 2023. This would boost Germany’s LNG import capacity to 34.9m tonnes/year by the end of 2023. To her the capacity provided by the new gas pipeline in Brunsbuttel is added. Capacity is expected to more than double by the end of this decade.
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