First gas fed into gas grid at LNG terminal

Created: 2022-12-21Updated: 2022-12-21 10:33 AM

Aerial view of the first pier for the arrival of ships carrying liquefied natural gas in Germany.

© Wolfhart Scheer/NPorts/dpa

The first German import terminal for liquefied natural gas has started operations: for the first time, regasified LNG is being fed into the gas grid as part of a test phase.

According to Uniper, the next important step for the industrial plant is imminent.

Wilhelmshaven - One day earlier than planned, the gas importer Uniper started commissioning the first German import terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Wilhelmshaven.

According to the Düsseldorf-based company, the first gas was fed into the newly built connection pipeline from the terminal ship "Höegh Esperanza" on Wednesday morning shortly after 9 a.m.

“The fact that the first gas is already flowing through our LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven is further proof of the determination with which everyone involved is driving the project forward.

The test phase is now beginning, which should be completed at the end of February," said Uniper manager Holger Kreetz, who is responsible for investment planning.

Originally, Uniper had planned to feed gas into the German gas network for the first time on December 22nd.

According to a Uniper spokesman, the fact that things are going faster now is due to the close cooperation between authorities and companies in the realization of the terminal.

Last Saturday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) opened the terminal together with other leaders of the traffic light government.

Uniper operates the terminal with the support of the federal government.

The special ship "Höegh Esperanza" arrived in Wilhelmshaven last Thursday fully loaded with around 165,000 cubic meters of LNG on board and moored at the newly built jetty.

The ship is the technical heart of the terminal, which regasses the liquefied gas that is delivered and pumps it back to shore.

According to Uniper, the amount of LNG that the ship has on board is enough to supply 50,000 to 80,000 households in Germany for a year.

According to market reports, the ship will deliver between 15 and 155 gigawatt hours of natural gas into the gas network every day during the commissioning phase.

The gas will then also be used to commission the newly built, around 26-kilometer-long connecting pipeline from Wilhelmshaven to Etzel in East Frisia.

But then it is also available on the market.

Commercial operation of the floating terminal is planned from mid-January with a maximum capacity of around 155 gigawatt hours per day.

"The next milestone is the arrival of the first LNG ship in mid-January," said Kreetz.

dpa