LNG terminals on the rise: US group enters Stade

Created: 04/12/2022, 07:36

By: Felix Busjaeger

The LNG bunker ship "Kairos" calls at the port of Hamburg.

Environmental groups are up in arms against the foreseeable increase in the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Germany.

© Christian Charisius/dpa

LNG terminals are intended to bring about the energy transition and free Germany from its dependence on Russia.

The plan is taking shape in Stade, Lower Saxony.

Stade – The war in Ukraine continues to cast its shadow over Germany.

While it has become increasingly clear in recent weeks that the Federal Republic is heavily dependent on Russian gas, the federal government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is meanwhile trying to find alternatives.

A relief package for 2022 is intended to create support for citizens.

In order to reduce dependence on Russia, however, LNG terminals are to be built in Germany.

A possible location: Stade in Lower Saxony.

LNG terminals in Lower Saxony: Location in Stade is taking shape

While Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) presented his 2022 Easter package and is already planning Germany's energy supply of tomorrow, the LNG terminals in Lower Saxony are intended to open up new energy suppliers.

Now there is progress in Lower Saxony: The US chemical company Dow has joined the consortium for the planned import terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Stade and is the new minority shareholder in Hanseatic Energy Hub (HEH).

In the meantime, an application for approval has also been submitted to the authorities and a timetable for the construction of the LNG terminal has been set.

This is reported by kreiszeitung.de.

This is Dow

Dow operates 106 production sites in 31 countries and employs around 35,700 people.

According to its own statements, the company has been active in Germany for 60 years - the Federal Republic is considered one of the most important production locations and sales markets worldwide.

In Germany there are currently 13 locations with 3,600 employees.

The location in Stade is one of the largest in Germany.

Accordingly, the LNG terminal is to be built in the immediate vicinity of Dow in the Stade industrial park by 2026 and convert 13.3 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas.

The cooperation with Dow also offers many advantages for the project at the location.

Since LNG is transported by ship at minus 162 degrees and then reheated and converted into gas in order to be fed into the energy grid, heat is required.

This should come from industrial waste heat from the Dow site for the process.

In this way, emission-free reverse conversion of the LNG should be possible.

Meanwhile, the plans in Lower Saxony are 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).

LNG terminal as a component of the energy transition: Application submitted to the Lüneburg State Trade Inspectorate

Katja Wodjereck, President and General Manager for Dow Germany, Austria and Switzerland, said about the planned partnership and the LNG terminal as an important bridging technology and building block of the energy transition: "The liquid gas terminal is planned from the start in such a way that the capacities for LNG In this regard, Hanseatic Energy Hub submitted an application for approval of an LNG terminal at the Stade site to the Lüneburg State Trade Inspectorate on Monday, April 11th.

The planned terminal is to be built in the area of ​​the industrial park in the north of the city of Stade (Stade-Bützfleth). 

With Dow, the HEH consortium has grown to a total of four shareholders.

The other members are: the gas infrastructure operator Fluxys (Belgium), the Partners Group (Switzerland) and the Buss Group from Hamburg.

There are already first customers for the liquefied natural gas.

At the end of March, a declaration of intent was signed with the energy supplier EnBW on the annual purchase of at least three billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas.

In addition to Stade, LNG terminals are also planned in Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel.

Both locations have already been confirmed by the government.

(With material from the dpa) * kreiszeitung.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.