Advantages

The terminal will be built on the site of the existing industrial park. The entry point to the general German gas grid already exists.

The terminal uses the industrial waste heat from Dow to regasify the LNG without any additional CO₂ emissions, allowing for the operation of a zero-emission terminal.

The expanded port facility can be used by all local businesses. The prospects of the industrial park at Stade will be secured for the long-term future.

The infrastructure of the site will be open for different types of usage from the beginning and can be adapted to medium and long-term developments. Instead of building a completely new site, it will be much quicker to adapt the terminal for ammonia imports.

More than 50 per cent of the planned investments serve to establish a basic industrial infrastructure that will also be necessary for hydrogen-based energy carriers. This way, the Hanseatic Energy Hub is already creating the basis for importing future hydrogen-based liquefied gases.

The terminal offers potential customers access to energy without the risk of the supply being cut off arbitrarily – unlike  a gas pipeline. The new access to a global gas market guarantees supply.

The synergies available at the location enable minimal investment and operating costs.

There is already significant national and international interest in the Hanseatic Energy Hub, with a multitude of potential customers looking to use the terminal in the future. Local industry also has great purchasing potential. An entry point to the German gas grid is also available in the immediate vicinity. As Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg has a particularly high gas demand.

The refuelling of bunker vessels in Stade enables the supply of LNG-powered ships to the nearby Port of Hamburg and other ports along the Elbe and the Kiel Canal.

The location is a hub for rail, road and sea transport. Tankers of up to Q-Max size (345 m long) can dock at the new port. LNG-powered trains and trucks can refuel here, too. LNG can also be transported to regions that are not connected to the gas pipeline grid by rail or truck.

Two LNG tanks each with a capacity of 240,000 m3 are planned on Dow’s industrial premises. During the first development phase, this will enable around 13 billion cubic metres of natural gas to be regasified annually.

By comparison, Germany’s annual demand in 2020 was around 95 billion cubic metres.
The open rack vaporisers (ORVs) have a feed-in capacity of 21.7 GW and can be adapted to market requirements.

Acting as a bridge, LNG is an important part of the energy transition, helping to secure the supply of affordable energy to the German economy by diversifying routes and sources. The entire infrastructure is also approved for biogas and SNG. Moreover, the storage capabilities of the hub will offer additional flexibility.

Proximity to the entry point of the general German gas grid reduces costs for consumers.

Use of the terminal will be subject to clear regulations set out by the German Federal Network Agency.

The basic principle of these regulations is that trade and operation of infrastructure are clearly separated. In line with this requirement, the capacity of the terminal will be tendered internationally in an ‘open season’ procedure.

The free selection of gas suppliers ensures greater competition and independence in the energy supply.