The “Deutsche Ostsee” LNG terminal on Rügen Island has commenced its regular operations. This marks a significant milestone for the controversial facility, which has now transitioned from test to standard operations.
(Source: Stefan Sauer)
Deutsche Regas, the terminal operator, announced that the LNG tanker “Hellas Diana” unloaded liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the terminal from Wednesday to Friday of the previous week. This operation marked a world first, with LNG being simultaneously transferred to two interconnected regasification ships.
The approximately 300-meter-long tanker arrived from Freeport in Texas, USA, according to the Marine Traffic internet tracking system. On Rügen Island, LNG can be offloaded via two Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs), the “Energos Power” and “Neptune”.
Significance and capacity
Ingo Wagner, the managing partner of Deutsche Regas, described the start of regular operations as a milestone following months of meticulous preparation. He emphasized, “The commencement of regular operations demonstrates the central importance of the ‘Deutsche Ostsee’ energy terminal for the security of supply in Germany, Austria, and Eastern Europe.”
After regasification, the LNG can be fed into the German distribution network via a natural gas connection pipeline to Lubmin. Deutsche Regas reports a targeted total capacity of 13.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year, equivalent to about 15 percent of Germany’s current annual consumption.
Controversy and criticism
The federal government included the construction of the terminal on Rügen’s primarily tourist-oriented east coast in the LNG Acceleration Act to further secure Germany’s gas supply. However, doubts are growing about the threat of a gas shortage, which was the decisive justification for building special terminals for gas tankers.
Among the project’s strongest critics is the German Environmental Aid (DUH), which refers to it as an “expensive and unnecessary investment ruin.” This criticism highlights the ongoing debate about the necessity and environmental impact of such infrastructure projects in the context of Germany’s energy transition and security.
