Final investment decision taken on Germany’s first onshore liquid gases terminal, with eye on future hydrogen imports
The €1bn Hanseatic Energy Hub will initially import LNG from 2027, but has already been certified as ‘ammonia-ready’
A final investment decision has been taken to spend around €1bn ($1.08bn) on the Hanseatic Energy Hub (HEH), Germany’s first onshore liquid gases terminal, which will be located on the River Elbe, close to the city of Stade, near Hamburg.
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According to a press release, the terminal has already been certified by permitting bodies as “ammonia-ready”.
Spanish gas grid operator Enagás, which has increased its share in the development consortium from 10% to 15%, will act as the terminal operator. Other shareholders include private equity firm Partners Group, chemicals giant Dow, and logistics firm Buss Group.
Meanwhile, Buss Group managing partner Johann Killinger is set to step down as CEO of the HEH, handing over the role to Jan Themlitz, the managing director of project developer Pronav LNG.
German energy firms EnBW and SEFE, as well as Czech state-backed utility CEZ, have already booked a combined 90% of the HEH’s 13.3 billion cubic metres of annual LNG import capacity.
Similar energy import hubs are being developed at Wilhelmshaven, another city in the state of Lower Saxony.
Meanwhile, German energy firm Uniper is also planning an ammonia import terminal at Wilhelmshaven, alongside 1GW of onshore electrolysers capable of supplying 300,000 metric tons of hydrogen a year, or 10-20% of expected German demand in 2030.
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