The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has lodged an objection to the operating license for the import terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Wilhelmshaven. The association demands that the operation of the floating terminal ship “Höegh Esperanza”, which opened in December, be limited to a maximum of ten years and that the discharge of waste water treated with biocides into the sea be stopped. Instead, the terminal operator, the gas importer Uniper, should rely on environmentally friendly cleaning processes without chemicals. In mid-December, the Lower Saxony state agency responsible for water management, coastal protection and nature conservation issued the water permit for the terminal.
The operation of the terminal is currently limited in the LNG Act to 2043, i.e. to 20 years. For the DUH and other environmental protection associations, this is clearly too long. From their point of view, the long term contradicts the goals of reducing emissions of climate-damaging gases according to the Paris climate agreement.
According to a statement on Wednesday, DUH Federal Managing Director Sascha Müller-Kraenner said it had to be ensured that climate protection also endured in the current energy crisis. “If we now issue numerous permanent operating permits for new fossil projects, we are taking ourselves from one fossil dependency to the next and jeopardizing our climate goals.” The term of the Wilhelmshaven LNG terminal must therefore be limited to a maximum of ten years. Environmental aid is also taking action against the operating life of the newly built connection pipeline. It should also be limited to ten years.
Environmental protection associations also criticize the discharge of waste water treated with biocides into the sea. In order to convert the liquefied natural gas delivered by tankers back into gas, it has to be heated with North Sea water on board the terminal. According to the operator Uniper, chlorine must be used as a biocide for cleaning so that the seawater systems of the ship do not become overgrown with mussels or barnacles. According to the approval authority, the requested quantity meets the legal requirements. In view of the use of chlorine, the DUH fears damage to the adjacent Wadden Sea. “Using tons of chlorine as a biocide is a disaster for jade biodiversity and local mussel fishermen,” said DUH energy expert Constantin Zerger.