Germany’s Gascade to build Lubmin LNG pipeline

Germany’s Gascade said it aims to build a pipeline that will connect the planned FSRU-based terminal in the German port of Lubmin to the grid.

Together with its partners NEL Gastransport and OPAL, Gascade plans to complete the pipeline measuring a few hundred meters in length before the end of this year, it said in a statement.

According to Gascade, the pipeline is expected to be the first LNG link to the German gas network.

It will connect a floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) to land as part of the “Deutsche Ostsee” LNG project developed by Deutsche ReGas.

Gastrade said the pipeline would connect the FSRU to the landing station near Lubmin with a feed-in capacity of about 6 GWh/h.

From the FSRU, the regasified LNG can be transported from the Greifswald landing station via the OPAL and NEL gas pipelines, and EUGAL to Germany and Europe.

Gascade said it has worked flat out to prepare the necessary contract and planning documents, and it would soon file the applications to the approval authority.

“Through this we are supporting the efforts of the government and society’s wish to diversify supply sources as fast as possible,” Christoph von dem Bussche, managing director of Gascade and NEL Gastransport said in the statement.

Germany fast-tracking LNG imports

Germany currently has no regasification facilities but the country is fast-tracking LNG imports to reduce reliance on Russian gas and boost energy security.

RWE and Uniper chartered four FSRUs on behalf of the German government.

These vessels include the two units RWE chartered from Hoegh LNG, and the Dynagas-owned 174,000-cbm Transgas Force and Transgas Power that will go on charter to Uniper.

Uniper has already started building Germany’s first FSRU-based LNG facility in Wilhelmshaven and expects to commission it this winter, while Dutch gas grid operator Gasunie said it expects the Brunsbuettel FSRU-based LNG import terminal to go online by the end of this year.

This FSRU project Deutsche ReGas is working on is not related to these four chartered units.

Deutsche ReGas recently submitted an application to Germany’s Federal Network Agency for an exemption from regulation for its planned FSRU-based terminal in Lubmin.

The German firm led by Ingo Wagner and Stephan Knabe is seeking the exemption from tariff and network access regulation in accordance with Section 28a of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG).

Deutsche ReGas expects the Lubmin facility to start delivering about 4.5 billion cubic meters per year from December 1.

In July, the firm revealed it signed a term sheet with French energy giant TotalEnergies under which the latter would provide an FSRU for the project.

Lubmin is the exit point for the German-Russian gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2.

The German firm said it could install two additional FSRUs to add more regasification capacity while its plans also include hydrogen.

Due to shallow waters at the location in Greifswalder Bodden, Deutsche ReGas plans to install a floating storage unit where LNG tankers with a capacity of up to 170,000-cbm would be able to dock.

From there, smaller vessels would transport the fuel to the FSRU, according to the firm.

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