German port receives first deliveries of liquefied gas

By André Klohn, dpa l Wednesday, February 15, 2023

 

BERLIN – The German port of Brunsbüttel on the mouth of the river Elbe beyond Hamburg received the first tanker with liquefied natural gas (LNG) on Wednesday as Europe’s largest economy weans itself from Russian supplies.

“After the arrival of the floating terminal in mid-January, the first LNG delivery from Abu Dhabi is the next important step,” said Andree Stracke, manager of German energy company RWE.

The LNG tanker ISH has 137,000 cubic metres of LNG on board, which is equivalent to more than 82 million cubic metres of natural gas. The tanker had already moored on Tuesday by the port. The gas extracted from the LNG is to be fed into the grid from the end of February with the help of the special ship Höegh Gannet.

Some 3.5 billion cubic metres of gas are to be fed into the grid in 2023 with the help of the Höegh Gannet, and 7.5 billion after completion of a connecting pipeline.

The stationary terminal is scheduled for completion in 2026.

According to RWE, a delegation from the supplier ADNOC from the United Arab Emirates, of which Abu Dhabi is the capital, was also expected at the first LNG delivery in the port. Germany wants to use the liquefied gas to replace the lack of Russian natural gas supplies. Next winter, up to one third of the current gas demand is to be covered by floating LNG terminals.

So far there are such terminals in Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea coast in Lower Saxony, in Lubmin on the Baltic coast in Western Pomerania and now in Brunsbüttel.