Wilhelmshaven: LNG terminal paused-experts warn of the bottleneck!

Wilhelmshaven: LNG terminal paused-experts warn of the bottleneck!

Wilhelmshaven, Deutschland - The LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven will temporarily close from January 2025. Lower Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs Olaf Lies said that a declining gas consumption is the main reason for this decision. From January to April, the "Höegh Esperanza", the floating import terminal, will not land a liquid gas, since LNG suppliers like the United States use its capacities elsewhere. This operating break is not due to technical defects, but results from the combination of reduced needs and high terminal fees in Germany. This reported, among other things, ndr .

The LNG terminal Wilhelmshaven, which was opened in 2022, can continue to be active in crisis situations. According to Lies, there is currently simply less demand for gas, which leads to a departure from LNG as a primary energy source. Instead, more pipeline gas is available. Despite the short closure, LNG terminals will play an important role in the transition to environmentally friendly gas in the future, such as the potential for the introduction of green hydrogen, which is also planned in Wilhelmshaven. An overview of the development and function of the terminal provides Wikipedia .

background to the LNG infrastructure

The LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven has been in operation since December 2022 and was the first of its kind in Germany. In order to meet the requirements of the market, another expansion is planned by 2026 to create the largest gas import terminal in Germany. It is initially planned that the two other floating terminals in Wilhelmshaven will start in 2024. Despite the current closure of the "Höegh Esperanza", the focus is still on the development of a robust LNG infrastructure in order to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and to make energy supply sustainable.