Ministry of Economy
Habeck relies on more liquid gas from Norway
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) traveled to Norway for talks. Photo: Axel Heimken/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Which energy imports should Germany purchase in the future? Economics Minister Habeck relies on liquid gas from Norway.
Economics and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck wants to rely on more LNG gas from Norway. This liquefied gas is said to be part of efforts to replace gas from Russia.
Norway can help with LNG capacities, said the Green politician on Wednesday evening during a visit to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo. The Scandinavian country is already one of the largest gas suppliers for mainland Europe, and Germany is already benefiting from this to a large extent.
LNG as a bridge to hydrogen
At the same time, Habeck said that LNG or natural gas is “just a short bridge or a bridge that we want to keep as short as possible”. This should be replaced by hydrogen as quickly as possible.
Støre promised more liquid gas. Although you are now at the maximum, you want to expand capacities in the summer with the help of an LNG terminal in northern Norway.
Habeck is pushing ahead with the construction of its own LNG terminals in Germany. His visit to Oslo is intended to be the start of a series of trips abroad, the aim of which is to put German energy imports on a broader footing and to ensure future procurement of “green hydrogen” and the associated raw materials. Habeck also wants to travel to Qatar.
Norway wants to be a pioneer
With the export of oil and gas, Norway has become one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Støre has repeatedly emphasized before and after his election in late summer 2021 that he does not want to dismantle the oil sector, but to develop it. The experience, infrastructure and billions in revenue from the fossil fuel business should therefore serve as the foundation for the green transition, which is very important to many people in the oil nation.
Among other things, Støre’s government wants to make Norway a pioneer in the technological development of hydrogen and hydrogen-based energy carriers. This should build new industries, reduce emissions and create new jobs. The government only announced on Friday that the equivalent of around 31 million euros should flow into two research centers in Trondheim and Bergen in order to strengthen hydrogen research over the next eight years.