Parliamentarians Discuss LNG Use in Germany

The coast working group members with the CDU/CSU parliamentary group today met with Dr. Dietrich Gerstein, Senior Vice President of E.ON Ruhrgas AG, in Berlin.

The meeting was held to discuss the possibilities and conditions for the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Germany.

The Chairman of the coastal district, Ingbert Liebing, said that the direct supply of LNG in the gas network contributes to the diversification of natural gas deposits and to the increase of security of supply. In addition, LNG offers interesting perspectives with regard to new utilization possibilities. This includes the use of LNG as fuel for ships – a market which is attributed to strict environmental standards upon facing great potentials.

Gerstein made clear that LNG is a very clean fuel, compared to today’s fuels, which could contribute to a drastic reduction of ship emissions (CO2, SOx, NOx). Precondition for this is to create an infrastructure, which could enable the distribution of LNG from receiving terminals of the large memory to smaller ports (stations).

For the North and Baltic Sea, this subject will be of special importance when the limits on sulfur emissions will be reduced massively as of 2015.

Liebing added that the establishment of the necessary infrastructure and the conversion of ships from oil and gas is a big challenge. Investments need to be made.

If further political action is needed, the union coastal Parliamentarians will support the increased use of LNG within their capabilities.

[mappress]

LNG World News Staff, December 16, 2011