Elbehafen LNG terminal starts regular commercial operations
Elbehafen LNG terminal starts regular commercial operations - Offshore Energy
Elbehafen LNG terminal starts regular commercial operations
The Elbehafen LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel, Germany has started its regular commercial operations.
At the beginning of May, an LNG cargo was delivered by the LNG Sakura vessel, marking the commencement of operations.
The LNG terminal’s developer RWE said the commercial operations will be carried out by the federally owned Deutsche Energy Terminal GmbH (DET), which was newly founded in early 2023, while Elbehafen LNG GmbH, a project company founded by RWE Supply & Trading, is responsible for the technical part of the operations of the terminal.
The developer further noted that, in the last few weeks, the system has undergone legally required technical tests and assessments by experts and authorities.
To remind, Hoegh Gannet, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), is serving the Elbehafen LNG terminal. It arrived at Brunsbüttel’s Elbehafen port at the beginning of the year and started supplying gas into the grid in March.
According to RWE, the FSRU, approximately 300-metre-long, is able to take up to 170,000 cubic metres of LNG from tankers in one unloading process, convert it safely to the gaseous aggregate state on board and then feed it into the gas network.
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) can also be unloaded via the Hoegh Gannet. The first such operation was conducted in March.
To note, Elbehafen LNG terminal is Germany’s third FSRU-based terminal following those in Wilhelmshaven and Lubmin.
Related Knowledge Center: Liquefied natural gas
Driven by plentiful natural gas produced from shale plays, the United States began exporting liquefied natural gas in 2016 when the Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana opened and shipped its first cargo. Since then, additional capacity, or trains, have been added to Sabine Pass, and terminals have become operational in Cameron Parish, La.; Hackberry, La.; Cove Point, Md.; and Corpus Christi, Texas. The Energy Information Administration projects that U.S. LNG export capacity will reach 8.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by the end of 2019, making it the third largest in the world, behind Australia and Qatar. The tariff war with China has the potential to impact some final investment decisions for additional terminals in the coming months.