Germany Developing Its First LNG Terminal

German energy giant Uniper commenced construction of the terminal on July 4 and it will be located in Wilhelmshaven. The State Trade Supervisory Authority Oldenburg has approved construction of the terminal after Uniper filed formal applications in June..

Uniper will operate the terminal at the request of the Federal Republic of Germany

The first landing terminal for LNG in Germany will be built at the Voslapper Groden transshipment facility in Wilhelmshaven. Uniper will operate the terminal at the request of the Federal Republic of Germany and they are aiming for commissioning in time to meet demand during the winter of 2022-2023

 As quickly as possible, they will ramp up the capacity to reach a goal of up to 7.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. That will represent approximately 8.5 percent of Germany’s current annual gas demand.

Uniper highlights that the Wilhelmshaven site offers ideal conditions from both a maritime and logistical perspective. LNG tankers of all sizes will be able to call at the facility regardless of the tides. At least two of the FSRU units chartered by the government will also be located in Wilhelmshaven, with others being targeted for locations on the Elbe near Stade, and Brunsbüttel.

The construction work in Wilhelmshaven will include onshore and seaward port infrastructure. Uniper said that all that is required for the connection to the existing natural gas pipeline network is a gas pipeline around 30 kilometers long. Work on the pipeline has already commenced by Germany’s biggest pipeline network operator Open Grid Europe (OGE).

In a second project step, Uniper will develop a permanent and expanded port solution for the FSRU.

In addition, they are planning to create additional unloading and handling facilities for ammonia as part of an imitative to build Wilhelmshaven into a terminal for the handling of green gasses.