At long last: The wait for Germany’s maiden LNG terminal could soon be over

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Building Germany’s maiden LNG terminal has been talked about for decades. However, plans, which have involved a number of companies and projects, have never come to fruition. Good access to piped gas and proximity to LNG terminals in neighbouring countries, especially GATE in Rotterdam, to which Uniper has access to 4 Bcm of capacity, meant that security of supply never was a pressing issue.

But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turned the European energy landscape on its head, and Germany’s heavy reliance on Russian piped gas – it imported an estimated 45 Bcm from Russia in 2021 – has become a real concern. As a result, the German government recently threw its weight behind two proposed LNG terminals that could be up and running by around the middle of the decade: the 8 Bcm/year Brunsbuttel terminal and the 10 Bcm/year Wilhelmshaven.