In winter, the gas supply could become tight.
Economics Minister Habeck relies, among other things, on LNG, which is shipped with gas tankers.
But the infrastructure harbors risks.
Berlin – Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) wants to reduce gas consumption in Germany with extensive measures and react to the throttling of Russian deliveries.
This is intended to prevent a severe gas crisis – especially with a view to winter and the start of the heating period.
Habeck: Expansion of LNG terminals in Germany
In addition to the reactivation of coal-fired power plants, the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) should play an important role in the future.
Four floating LNG terminals are currently planned, one in Wilhelmshaven and one in Brunsbüttel to go into operation by the end of the year, the other two in spring 2023. Stade and Hamburg as well as Lubmin in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are under discussion as locations, where for Nord Stream a lot of gas infrastructure is already in place.
In addition, at least two stationary LNG terminals are planned for the coming years.
Stade and Brunsbüttel as well as Wilhelmshaven are mentioned as locations.
They should later also be able to be used for hydrogen.
Imports from LNG terminals in other EU countries are also possible.
LNG and gas tankers: what happens in an explosion?
The LNG is shipped to Germany or other European countries with LNG terminals using gas tankers from countries such as the USA, Qatar or Israel.
This approach is met with criticism from environmentalists: the liquid gas is even more harmful to the climate than the natural gas that is transported via the pipelines.
In addition, there are increasing security concerns.
At the largest LNG exporter, the USA, a security debate about the extraction and infrastructure of the raw material is raging, and not just since a large explosion in a large-scale liquid gas plant in Texas at the beginning of June.
On the coasts of the USA, residents fought against LNG projects.
In a recent report by Tagesschau
, people who live near a liquid gas plant in the south of the US state of Louisiana complained about
how much they affect the environmental pollution.
The air often smells of sulphur, breathing is difficult on some days.
There are safety concerns about this.
What happens in an explosion?
Expert: "LNG tankers are not floating bombs"
This question is also driving a citizens' initiative in Milford Haven, Wales.
An LNG terminal is to be built there.
The fear expressed by the head of the citizens' initiative in an older
Spiegel
article: In the event of a ship collision, the gas that deflagrated could catch fire and set the whole city on fire.
In fact, the gas tankers would dock at a jetty in the middle of Milford Haven's busy port entrance.
"The operator and the approval authorities have not made an adequate risk assessment," says the citizens' initiative, according to the report.
Gerd-Michael Würsig, LNG expert at Germanischer Lloyd, a kind of TÜV for ships, countered in
Der Spiegel
: "LNG tankers are not floating bombs." An explosion is extremely unlikely because many factors have to come together for it to happen.
LNG: A leak can set the whole ship on fire
The specialist magazine
Markt und Mittelstand
reports on the subject from a conference in Duisburg, the largest inland port in Europe.
The horror scenario: A ship collision causes a leak in the LNG tank, the cryogenic liquefied natural gas escapes and evaporates.
If the cloud of steam hits any source of ignition, it will explode and set everything on fire – including the ship.
According to the Rotterdam fire brigade specialist Brian Paul Mo-Ajok, it takes a lot of force to break through the tank.
But with a weapon that can also be used against tanks, it should be possible.
In such a case, either the whole ship explodes or a puddle fire cuts off escape routes for the ship's crew and rescue teams, reports
Markt und Mittelstand
.
There is also a risk of suffocation in such a case.
Terrorists are already using the problem for their own purposes: the Islamist militia Hezbollah in Lebanon recently threatened Israel with attacks to prevent LNG production and transport.
Specifically, they recently threatened a gas tanker owned by the British company Energean, which is supposed to extract gas in sea areas claimed by both countries.
(lma/dpa)
