Private LNG operator takes EU to court over €4.96 billion state funding

January 20, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Deutsche ReGas, Germany’s private operator of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, has embarked on a legal battle to challenge the European Commission’s approval of the €4.96 billion subsidy scheme, claiming that state aid for LNG terminals harms competition and weakens gas security.

Deutsche Ostsee; Source: Deutsche Regas — Deutsche Ostsee; Source: Deutsche ReGas

Deutsche ReGas’ lawsuit, filed on January 16, 2026, with the competent court of the European Union (EU), revolves around the European Commission’s approval of state aid for the federal government’s floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) terminals, amounting to up to €4.96 billion.

The private German firm explains that the construction and operation of the energy terminal Deutsche Ostsee in Mukran, as well as the previous LNG terminal in Lubmin, were carried out without state aid.

The company emphasizes that the largest volume of gas by far of all German LNG terminals was delivered through the Deutsche Ostsee energy terminal during the current heating period in the fourth quarter of 2025, supplying 15% of German households and commercial customers with gas.

The terminal featured two regasification vessels, FSRU Neptune and FSRU Energos Power, before the contract for the latter was terminated as Deutsche ReGas felt the LNG pricing policy by the Deutsche Energy Terminal (DET), a company that operates the state-owned floating LNG terminals, was detrimental to the German market.

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Ingo Wagner, Managing Partner of Deutsche ReGas, commented: “At the beginning of the energy crisis in 2022, we already built two privately financed LNG terminals in record time at less than a tenth of the cost of the federal terminals. As a private infrastructure operator, we make an important contribution to supply security.

“The state funding for LNG terminals, amounting to 5 billion euros, is unnecessary and harms competition. It leads to a reduction in capacities, has adverse effects on the filling of German gas storage facilities, and thereby weakens supply security.”

DET, part of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, brought online the second LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven, as the country’s third LNG import terminal, in May 2025.