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In March 2024, the 2021-built 174,000-cbm FSRU, Energos Force, owned by Apollo’s Energos Infrastructure and chartered by Germany’s federal government, arrived at the AVG jetty in Stade.
However, DET’s third FSRU-based facility after the Brunsbüttel and Wilhelmshaven 1 terminals has not been commissioned since then.
DET has previously appointed Lithuania’s KN Energies for the commercial management of the Stade FSRU-based facility and HEH for operations and maintenance.
“Due to ongoing non-fulfillment of contractual obligations on the part of Hanseatic Energy Hub (HEH), the FSRU project Stade has no prospect of successful completion in this way,” DET told LNG Prime in an emailed statement late on Wednesday.
“As a result, DET was forced to terminate the contracts concluded with HEH as early as January 2025,” the firm said.
DET refused to take over superstructure facilities
DET noted that the FSRU Energos Force was moored at the AVG jetty in the port of Bützfleth on March 15, 2024, and “has been ready for operation since then.”
“Due to the pending proof of technical completion and operational readiness of the superstructure facilities by DET’s contractual partner, HEH, DET has not yet been able to accept the facility and the planned test operation of the FSRU project – consisting of superstructure facilities and FSRU – could not be started,” DET said.
“In response to repeated requests, HEH had always assured DET that it would meet the completion date, which had already been delayed to March 15, 2024, but had let this date pass without success,” the company said.
Most recently, HEH announced that the plant would be handed over on December 13, 2024, and was also formally requested by DET to meet this deadline, according to DET.
“As HEH was also unable to provide proof of the required completion and operational readiness of the plant by this date, DET finally refused to take over the superstructure facilities,” DET said.
Talks underway
“As the FSRU project had no prospect of successful completion due to HEH’s ongoing failure to fulfill its contractual obligations, DET was forced to unilaterally terminate the concluded contracts,” the company said.
“This was necessary in order to avert an incalculable increase in financial damage to DET and its shareholder, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the taxpayer,” DET said.
“Nevertheless, talks are currently underway between the parties,” DET added.
In March 2024, HEH took a final investment decision on its Stade LNG import terminal near Hamburg worth about 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion). This is Germany’s first onshore LNG terminal.
HEH’s shareholders are Partners Group, Enagas, Dow, and Buss Group.
Once the onshore LNG terminal enters into service in 2027, the plan was that the FSRU would set sail from Stade.
Second Wilhelmshaven facility
Besides the Brunsbüttel, Wilhelmshaven 1, and Stade terminals, DET is also working on the second Wilhlemhsaven facility.
However, the launch of this facility has also been delayed.
Last month, DET said that Excelerate’s 138,000-cbm FSRU Excelsior is expected to arrive in Wilhelmshaven by the end of March.
DET told LNG Prime on Thursday that it now expects the FSRU to arrive in Wilhelmshaven “in the course of April.”
In 2023, the FSRU arrived at the Navantia yard in El Ferrol, Spain for a planned stopover before its job in Wilhelmshaven.
According to its AIS data, the FSRU is still located there.
DET’s second terminal in Wilhelmshaven will have a capacity of about 4 bcm per year and features a new jetty which was completed last year.