German cabinet puts LNG terminal on fast-track despite opposition

 

BERLIN – Germany’s federal cabinet on Wednesday decided to put the development of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on fast-track despite protest by the government of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The cabinet decided to include the port of Mukran on the island of Rügen in the so-called LNG Acceleration Act, which paves the way for faster approval.

“Since there continues to be a corresponding need to secure the energy supply, Mukran, a location on the Baltic Sea coast, will be included in the law as a project site after close exchange with the state government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,” the Germany’s Economics Ministry said on Wednesday evening.

But on Tuesday in a joint statement, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s Economy Minister Reinhard Meyer and Environment Minister Till Backhaus, asked Berlin “not to initiate the LNG Amendment Act now.” They noted local opposition to the terminal.

With their calls unheeded, a faster approval is expected. Concrete planning documents still have to be reviewed by the appropriate state authorities, but current federal estimates show the project could be commissioned as early as the first quarter of 2024.

Critics, especially on the island, are concerned about tourism, which is particularly important there, but also about the environment and criticize the creation of what they see as unneeded overcapacity.

Last month German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, once again, defended the terminal, saying facilities on the North Sea coast, imports via Western European ports and pipelines from Norway are not sufficient.