Germany received its first cargo of liquefied natural gas – from the US – at a new floating terminal in the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven, a milestone in the country’s effort to diversify its energy supply.
According to a joint statement by terminal operator Uniper SE and Venture Global LNG Inc., a tanker with enough gas to power 50,000 German homes for a year arrived on January 3. The ship loaded the latter company’s Calcasieu Pass project in Louisiana.
Germany is turning to LNG from allies like the US to reduce dependency on Russia amid Kremlin war in Ukraine. Berlin has accelerated its first LNG import terminals by leasing five floating storage and regasification units. The country’s first private floating LNG terminal in Lubmin received its first delivery in December, as the project is about to officially launch.
The loading in Wilhelmshaven is part of the commissioning process of the plant. While the terminal opened in December, commercial operations are scheduled to begin in mid-January. Uniper plans to bring more LNG to Germany, both in Wilhelmshaven and at the Brunsbüttel terminal, which is set to open later in 2023.
According to an agreement with the government in 2022, Uniper will take over the temporary supply of the two terminals together with RWE AG, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG and VNG AG.
Adequate gas storage – thanks in large part to LNG imports – has helped Europe weather its energy crisis in the new year. Benchmark Dutch gas futures are now trading near their lowest levels since February.
