Status: 12/18/2022 3:53 p.m
After the opening ceremony with Chancellor Scholz, Germany’s first LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven is scheduled to start operations on Thursday. Meanwhile, environmental aid and BUND are announcing further lawsuits.
In addition to a shorter term for the terminal, the conservationists are concerned with cleaning the special ship “Höegh Esperanza” with chlorine, which is then fed into the Wadden Sea. “What is needed is a time limit on operations in line with the climate goals and a ban on the use of biocides,” said Sascha Müller-Kraenner, chairman of the German Environmental Aid (DUH), according to a statement. If necessary, environmental aid will “enforce this with legal means”. The Bund für Umwelt- und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) is also calling for a significantly shorter terminal runtime and announced that it would sue for changes to the permits if necessary.
LNG terminal: According to Energy Minister Meyer “no environmental discount”
At the ceremony for the LNG terminal, Lower Saxony’s Energy Minister Christian Meyer (Greens) emphasized that all limit values had been complied with. “We didn’t give an environmental discount,” said the minister on Saturday. A day earlier, the State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defense and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) had approved the commissioning of the plant and the discharge of waste water from the “Höegh Esperanza” into the Jade. The almost 300 meter long special ship is to convert liquefied natural gas (LNG) delivered by tankers into gas and feed it into the German gas network. The ship’s pipes are to be cleaned using chlorine, a total of 35 tons per year.
Critics take water samples near the “Höegh Esperanza”
Environmentalists point to gentle alternatives to cleaning the pipes. All other special ships that are used for handling LNG in Germany do not require any biocides such as chlorine, said BUND regional director Imke Zwoch. “We cannot understand why these six months have not been used to convert the ship accordingly.” NLWKN director Anne Rickmeyer pointed out that the discharges would be strictly controlled based on measurements around the ship and in the Jade Bay. The energy hub network, which also includes BUND and the Nature Conservation Union (NABU), wanted to take water samples from Hooksiel’s outer harbor on Sunday – near the pier of the “Höegh Esperanza”.
Habeck: An alternative would be winter with a lack of gas
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) gave himself in the ARD daily topics convinced that the permit for the terminals would stand up to lawsuits. “We are acting under the greatest pressure to ensure security of supply in Germany.” That means that “sometimes we have to shorten procedures,” said the minister, referring to the usual participation processes. You can’t find that so good, but the consequence would be “a winter with a lack of gas”. State Environment Minister Meyer emphasized that around 300 objections from citizens and environmental organizations had been received and examined.
Chancellor Scholz at the opening: “New Germany pace”
To the At the opening of the terminal on Saturday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) praised the “new pace in Germany with which we are advancing the infrastructure”. It is a model for other projects. After Russia’s attack on Ukraine in the spring, a 26-kilometer connection pipeline and a pier at an existing handling facility north of the deep-water port JadeWeserPort were built within a few months. Many would have said that was not possible.
The LNG terminal is scheduled to go into operation on Thursday. Then the “Höegh Esperanza” will introduce gas into the German grid for the first time. Commercial operation is scheduled to start in January.
VIDEO: LNG ship “Höegh Esperanza” arrives in Wilhelmshaven (12/15/2022) (3 Min)
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