LNG terminals can “replace 40 percent of Russian natural gas supplies”

Created: 4/4/2022 1:24 p.m

By: Felix Busjaeger

LNG terminal in Rotterdam: Similar systems are to be built in Germany in the future and secure the energy supply.

© Federico Gambarini/dpa

Away from Putin's gas: Since the Ukraine war has been raging, Germany has been looking for alternative energy supplies.

Stephan Weil brings the North Sea into play.

Berlin/ Hanover – Germany is dependent on Russian gas.

But in view of the war in Ukraine, that should change as soon as possible.

The fact that the Federal Republic can free itself from the clutches of Vladimir Putin may also be due to Lower Saxony.

The plans in Hanover sound ambitious: Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) announced that he wants to replace up to 40 percent of Russian gas supplies to Germany with import terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG).

He said so in an interview with Die Welt.

LNG terminals in Lower Saxony are intended to create an alternative to Russian gas

Germany has been considered dependent on Russian gas supplies for years.

The Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline was supposed to be an important route for Germany's energy supply before the Ukraine war, but Putin's actions seem to make future gas deals between Russia and Germany impossible.

An alternative could be created with LNG terminals, which are also to be built in Lower Saxony.

Wilhelmshaven is a possible location in Lower Saxony.

This is reported by kreiszeitung.de.

The effects on the German energy market are already so enormous that the federal government wants to take decisive countermeasures with a relief package and relieve consumers in Germany.

Among other things, the 2022 relief package also includes a 9-euro ticket for buses and trains.

A good third of the oil processed in Germany currently comes from Russia.

According to Claudia Kemfert from the DIW in Berlin, it should be more than 50 percent for natural gas.

In view of this enormous proportion, switching to other energy suppliers seems to involve a great deal of effort and time.

However, Stephan Weil sees a good alternative in the LNG terminals in Lower Saxony, whose infrastructure should be expanded quickly.

Prime Minister Weil on LNG terminals in Lower Saxony: "Can replace 40 percent of Russian natural gas supplies"

"With this alone, we should be able to replace around 20 percent of Russian natural gas supplies by the first quarter of next year and around 40 percent from the summer," said Prime Minister Weil der Welt about the planned LNG terminals in Lower Saxony.

His energy minister, Olaf Lies, had been in favor of gas production in the North Sea for some time and told Der Spiegel that the planned terminals would now have to be built in a hurry in order to free Germany from its dependence on Russia.

"We will have to build before the permit is there," he told the news magazine.

While the LNG terminals could represent an important pillar in Germany's energy supply in the future, Weil also suggests another possibility.

Although the state of Lower Saxony was critical of natural gas production in the Wadden Sea in the past, this could change in view of the current situation.

In addition to talks with raw materials companies that are already producing oil and natural gas in Lower Saxony, Weil is no longer completely opposed to the idea of ​​drilling gas fields in the North Sea.

"If environmental protection is secured, I think that will be realized."

Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Weil on natural gas from the Wadden Sea: puncture in the sea area of ​​the Netherlands

As the Welt-Interview reveals, Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Weil stated that it would not be possible to expect more gas from the Netherlands and at the same time deny the possibility of pumping gas in the border area.

Apparently, a penetration into the gas deposit would also take place outside the Wadden Sea in the sea area of ​​the Netherlands and not directly in the Wadden Sea.

"The latter would be a much greater damage from an ecological point of view."

In addition to harsh criticism and the acknowledgment of mistakes in Germany's dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Weil made it clear that urgency is needed to secure Germany's energy supply.

And indeed: time is pressing.

In the course of Germany's planned nuclear phase-out, the last nuclear power plant in Lower Saxony will also be taken offline by the end of the year, as planned.

The situation regarding energy supply in Germany could then deteriorate again if reliable alternatives are not found in good time.

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