Deutsche ReGas said on Friday that it would officially launch its FSRU-based terminal in Lubmin, Germany’s second such facility, on January 14.
The firm led by Ingo Wagner and Stephan Knabe revealed this in an invitation to journalists sent to LNG Prime by email on Friday.
Deutsche ReGas is currently commissioning the FSRU-based facility but it has been waiting to receive an approval from the local government to start commercial operations.
Citing a press release by the government of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, Deutsche ReGas said it would receive the final approval by the end of the next week.
Deutsche ReGas would then have all the necessary permits to start commerical operations of the first privately financed FSRU-based terminal in Germany, it said.
Also, the LNG terminal developer said that the launching ceremony would be held in the industrial port of Lubmin on Saturday at 14pm local time and attended by high-ranking officials including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and German Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck.
Coral Furcata delivered first shipment last week
The launching of the FSRU-based facility 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.
Boluda tugs are helping with these operations.
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 two 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-based terminal
Following the launching ceremony, the Lubmin facility would become the second operational FSRU-based terminal in Germany.
This comes just weeks after Uniper and its partners officially launched Germany’s first FSRU-based LNG import facility in Wilhelmshaven.
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.