Stade, Germany, 25.02.22 – Johann Killinger, managing partner of Hanseatic Energy Hub (HEH), called for long-term planning security and regulatory framework conditions that are equivalent to those in neighboring European countries. He did so at a press briefing on the project status and current market environment of the future energy import terminal in Stade, Germany. In addition to LNG, the terminal is also designed to handle other low-carbon energy sources such as bio-LNG and synthetic methane in the initial phase. In a second phase - as the global supply of carbon-neutral energy sources grows, the hub will also be available as import infrastructure for these.
Commenting on the project status, Killinger said, "We are ready to implement a future-flexible energy infrastructure in Stade. The market test last year was positive, the nautical simulation was successful, and the technical planning has also been completed. The site in Stade is proving to be ideal for an LNG terminal. The permitting documentation is currently being finalized and the bidding process for the EPC contractor is also under way. We are now waiting for an urgently needed concretisation of the political framework conditions."
The German gas market regulation design is disadvantageous for terminal projects compared to other European countries. Comparatively high network access fees are demanded. According to Killinger, it is therefore important to "swiftly eliminate the locational disadvantages in Germany and bring the network access fees for LNG terminals in line with the level in other EU member states."
It would also be an important signal to investors if binding criteria for the entire operating term of an LNG terminal were defined now. An LNG terminal’s business plan is typically based on several decades of operations, and operating permits and depreciation scales are correspondingly long. HEH's managing partner comments: "Our terminal is future-flexible and can in principle be adapted for the import of climate-neutral energy sources. However, as things stand today, the prices, quantities and structures of these new markets and the resulting risks are not foreseeable and, accordingly, cannot be calculated from an economic point of view. These transformation risks must be safeguarded politically"
About HEH
The Hanseatic Energy Hub (HEH) is a terminal for liquefied gases at the industrial site in Stade, Germany. The independent hub diversifies German industry's long-term import needs for affordable energy. In a first development phase, a zero-emission terminal is to be commissioned at end of 2026 at the earliest, with infrastructure also approved for bio-LNG and SNG. The planned regasification capacity is 12 billion m³/a and a feed-in capacity of 21.7 GW. With the development of new carbon-neutral energy sources, the hub will also facilitate the import of hydrogen-based energy carriers. HEH shareholders are the Buss Group from Hamburg, the gas infrastructure operator Fluxys (Belgium) and Partners Group (Switzerland). www.hanseatic-energy-hub.de
Media contact
Rebecca Ritter
on behalf of Hanseatic Energy Hub GmbH
c/o navos - Public Dialogue Consultants GmbH
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20357 Hamburg
Tel: 040 / 696 387 64 4
E-Mail: dialog@hanseatic-energy-hub.de