Wilhelmshaven: LNG terminal threatens months of decommissioning!

Wilhelmshaven: LNG terminal threatens months of decommissioning!

The LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven, Germany's first of its kind, faces a long interruption. From the beginning of 2025, the terminal for liquid gas could not receive any new deliveries for months. According to a message from Deutsche Energy Terminal, which confirmed several media, the capacity of the terminal will not be marketed in the period from 5 January to April 1, 2025. During this time, the terminal, which has previously made a decisive contribution to stabilizing the gas supply, remains unused. However, the operators emphasize that the planning can be adjusted at short notice, depending on the market development and needs.

The terminal has played a central role in German energy supply in recent years, especially during the gas crisis. The German Energy Terminal reported that its capacities contributed significantly to market calm and reduced gas prices. In view of these developments, a framework for future marketing is now defined in order to provide the terminals as a crisis instrument. Two additional LNG terminals are also being planned: one in Wilhelmshaven and one in Stade that is expected to be put into operation in the first quarter of 2025. However, critics warn of possible overcapacity that could affect the market because the demand for LNG could fluctuate.

pioneering work in Wilhelmshaven

Wilhelmshaven did pioneering work in the LNG infrastructure when the first German LNG terminal was put into operation in December 2022. Since then, the special ship "Högh Esperanza" has received LNG from Carriern, converted it back into gaseous state and successfully fed into the network. In the summer of 2024, the location will be expanded by a second floating LNG terminal, the "Excelerate Excelsior", which will determine an offshore investor currently under construction. These extensions are regarded as a significant contribution to ensuring a stable energy supply for Germany and Europe, such as Energy-terminal.de determined.