Lubmin LNG terminal receives FSRU as operator expects start-up by the end of month

Business Developments & Projects

December 19, 2022, by Ajsa Habibic

Floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Neptune has arrived at the industrial port of Lubmin in Germany, signalling that the tests can soon begin at the country’s first and so far only privately financed LNG terminal.

Deutsche ReGas, the developer of the Lubming LNG terminal, informed that the FSRU Neptune reached the port on 16 December to take its place at the specially prepared berth.

Deutsche ReGas chartered the FSRU Neptune from French energy major TotalEnergies under the contract signed in July this year and kicked off the construction of the LNG terminal in Lubmin on 20 September.

On 23 November, the FSRU arrived at Mukran Port where it was prepared for the final transfer to Lubmin. This included reducing the FSRUs draught from 9.6 to around 5.2 metres and installing a pipe adapter to ensure a precise connection of the FSRU to the onshore system.

Stephan Knabe, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche ReGas, said that upon the arrival, the FSRU Neptune was moored in accordance with the regulations and immediately connected to the shore connection line so that the company can start the first tests for the LNG terminal.

Knabe added that the goal is to enable supplying gas as quickly as possible, explaining that the commissioning can only take place when all the necessary permits have been obtained.

According to him, the company still expects to commission the terminal in December. The initial plans included the launch of operations at the beginning of this month.

However, the start-up was postponed by several weeks due to pending approval procedures.

As reported at the time, all technical precautions were taken but the operator is still missing two permits – the European Commission’s formal approval of an exceptional permit from the Federal Network Agency for the terminal and the operating permit.

Once it starts delivering LNG, the terminal is expected to feed up to 4.5 billion cbm of gas annually into the German transmission network.

If granted the permissions soon, the Lubmin terminal could become the second operational FSRU-based terminal in Germany, following in the footsteps of the newly commissioned Wilhelmshaven facility.