As of: 01/14/2023 4:50 p.m
The liquid gas terminal at the Greifswalder Bodden has now officially started after its trial operation. According to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, capacities are to be further expanded. There were protests on the fringes of the inauguration.
The second German import terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) has started operations in Lubmin (Vorpommern-Greifswald district). This means that gas from Western Pomerania is now flowing into the German grid. The floating terminal is operated privately by the French energy group Totalenergies and the company Deutsche ReGas. The plant is intended to supply eastern Germany in particular with up to 5.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually. The first imported liquid gas in Lubmin comes from Egypt.
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Scholz and Schwesig in Lubmin
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) and Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) came to the western Pomeranian Lubmin near Greifswald for the official start. Chancellor Scholz announced that further LNG terminals are to follow in Germany. The landing options in Lubmin are also to be expanded. A second terminal is already being planned by the federal government. It is to be supplied by ships via a pipeline through the Bodden.
Mecklenburg-West Pomerania’s Prime Minister made it clear on site that the use of liquid gas can only be an interim solution. The future could only be regenerative forms of energy. Schwesig wants to make Lubmin a hub for energy.
Trial operation since the beginning of January
With the help of liquid gas delivered by ship, Germany wants to become independent of Russian gas as quickly as possible. To this end, the approval process for the Lubminer Terminal has been accelerated. At the beginning of January, natural gas was fed into the gas network for the first time as part of a trial run.
The ship “Neptune”, which serves as a regasification unit, the LNG tanker “Seapeak Hispania” and the LNG shuttle tanker “Coral Furcata” had arrived in Lubmin in the past few weeks. There is criticism against today’s start of regular operation. Around 300 people gathered in Lubmin.
Criticism from citizens and associations
On the fringes of the opening ceremony, citizens and environmental organizations protested. In their opinion, the effects on the protected Greifswalder Bodden would not be sufficiently taken into account by the accelerated approval process. They also criticize the fact that there are no adequate safety and environmental provisions. In addition, there is a whole series of additional requirements in the documents, which should not be corrected in advance, but during operation.
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The critics are also critical of the operating license for the floating LNG terminal for a period of nine years. In addition, the noise pollution and the dangers of shuttle ship traffic were not checked in accordance with the requirements of environmental law. However, there are hardly any possibilities to take action against the project now. Appeals have no suspensive effect, according to the LNG Acceleration Act. Nevertheless, the environmental organizations threaten to object if environmental concerns are not met.
Environment Minister Backhaus emphasizes thoroughness
Despite all the speed, the work was thorough, said Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Environment Minister Backhaus in the Lubmin industrial port. He had handed over the approval notice for the LNG terminal on Saturday. The objections from citizens and associations were taken seriously and examined in detail. No biocides would be discharged into the water either, and the adjacent nature reserve and bird sanctuary would not be affected. Sound measurements are currently being carried out because of complaints about noise pollution. If the regasification system is the cause of the nuisance to people, noise-reducing requirements would follow, according to the minister.
Shuttle ships between the Baltic Sea and Bodden
In Lubmin, the terminal has to be supplied by smaller shuttle ships due to the low water levels in the Greifswalder Bodden. They fetch the LNG from a larger tank storage ship on the Baltic Sea. A special ship for this is the “Neptune”, which has been lying off Lubmin since mid-December. The “Neptune” can heat the liquefied natural gas and turn it back into gas. The gas can then be fed into the grid. The infrastructure in Lubmin can also be used to feed in hydrogen.
Several LNG terminals in Germany
The Lubminer Terminal is one of the first operational LNG terminals in Germany. In Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony The first German import terminal for liquefied natural gas opened at the end of the year. A terminal in Brunsbüttel in Schleswig-Holstein is ready for delivery.
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