The FSRU-based terminal in Lubmin, Germany’s second such facility, has started supplying natural gas to the grid ahead of the official launch scheduled on January 14.
“We can confirm that the first very small quantities were fed into the gas grid yesterday as part of the permitted test operation before the official opening on January 14th,” Lubmin LNG terminal operator Deutsche ReGas told LNG Prime late on Tuesday.
The private LNG firm led by Ingo Wagner and Stephan Knabe is planning to officially launch the facility on January 14.
Moreover, the start of gas supplies to the grid follows the arrival of the first LNG shipment in Lubmin for commissioning purposes.
The small LNG/ethylene carrier, Coral Furcata, operated by Dutch firm Anthony Veder, delivered the shipment to the 2009-built 145,000-cbm, FSRU Neptune, on December 30.
Coral Furcata can carry about 10,000 cbm of LNG and previously took the cargo from the 137,814-cbm LNG carrier Seapeak Hispania, which serves as a floating storage unit for the project.
Sepeak Hispania arrived some three weeks ago offshore the island of Ruegen carrying a cargo from Egypt’s Idku plant.
In the future, this vessel will take liquefied natural gas from LNG carriers and store it while smaller carriers such as Coral Furcata and Coral Favia will take take the fuel from the FSU and deliver it to the FSRU in Lubmin due to draft restrictions in the area.
Second FSRU out of six
The Lubmin FSRU-based facility is now the second LNG import terminal in Germany that has started supplying gas to the grid after the Uniper-led Wilhelmshaven project.
The 170,000-cbm FSRU Hoegh Esperanza in Wilhelmshaven has also received its first LNG tanker from the US.
Germany has in total backed the charters of five FSRUs while the Lubmin facility is the first private project.
German energy firm RWE is also expecting to receive the first commissioning cargo at the Elbhafen FSRU-based LNG import terminal in Brunsbuettel in January.
This government-backed terminal will also feature Hoegh’s vessel, Hoegh Gannet.