Germany frees itself from Putin's gas: new LNG terminal starts!

Germany frees itself from Putin's gas: new LNG terminal starts!

The time has finally come: Germany has put a sixth floating LNG terminal into operation in Wilhelmshaven. This is a significant step at a time when dependence on Russian natural gas is heavily criticized. After the Ukraine war, Germany decided to completely stop importing gas from Russia. The new terminal is intended to help increase the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and secure energy supplies for households and industry. Loud fr.de The construction costs amount to 400 million euros.

Overall, the strategy is clear: Germany wants to convert around 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the future with the six LNG terminals at different locations. This corresponds to almost half of the natural gas imported from Russia in 2021. The LNG terminals are located in Wilhelmshaven (two terminals), Stade, Brunsbüttel, Lubmin and Mukran. These terminals are not just logistical hubs, they store and convert liquefied natural gas into a gaseous state before it is fed into the gas network.

Background and current developments

The move away from Russian natural gas brought about a significant change in the German energy sector. The Ukraine war created awareness of the need to diversify energy supplies. From the end of 2022, Germany increasingly purchased LNG from other countries, and the construction of the LNG terminals was massively accelerated by the LNG Acceleration Act in June 2022. fluessiggas.de highlights that LNG dates are considered safe because they are stored in insulated tanks and the liquefied gas is non-toxic.

Figures from 2022 show that natural gas covered almost 24% of Germany's energy needs, with industry being the main consumers at over 35% and private households at 31%. An upswing in LNG use is necessary to ensure dwindling dependence on Russian imports. In 2023 the statistics were that 42% of natural gas was imported via pipelines from Norway and 23% from Belgium. However, feed-in from our own LNG terminals only contributed 5% to the energy supply. This is still in trouble, but urgently needs to be moved upwards.

Future outlook

The experts agree: one year after the Russian attack on Ukraine, the energy supply in Germany is secure even without Russian natural gas. Diversification of sources and savings in consumption patterns helped. diw.de However, reports that further expansion of LNG terminals is not considered necessary. The plans for permanent onshore installations are met with skepticism - they don't want to think about long-term dependencies on LNG, especially since the aim is to phase out fossil fuels.

The future looks like this: German energy policy will focus on a more sustainable and environmentally conscious orientation. It remains exciting to see how the situation develops and how long the LNG terminals will really be needed. There will also be discussions about climate goals, as Germany has committed to phasing out fossil fuels by the early 2040s. These are challenges that still leave a lot of room for discussion.