Wilhelmshaven LNG terminal seeks binding capacity interest

LNG Terminal Wilhelmshaven (LTeW) has invited market participants to express binding interest in terminal capacities.

This call follows the non-binding phase of the open season process, which started in May 2019 and already found interest among market players.

After further development steps, the project has now reached a level of maturity that, according to current planning, allows entering into the next phase on Monday, September 14, 2020, aiming for binding booking requests.

Within the next five years, LTeW, a unit of Uniper, plans to further develop, construct and commission a terminal to land, store and regasify LNG at Germany’s sole deepwater port location.

The design is based on a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU). The nominal send-out capacity of the terminal will be 9.78 bcm per year.

The project makes an important contribution to the further diversification of German gas supplies and also to the security of supply and long-term competitiveness of gas supplies in Germany and Europe, Uniper said in its statement.

Alongside regasification, it is planned that the FSRU will also offer the possibility for loading LNG onto LNG ships and LNG bunker barges.

Connecting it to the existing natural gas transmission system requires a pipeline of only roughly 30 km.

In addition to the open season process, the scoping process for coordinating and determining the scope of the examination in accordance with the German law on environmental impact assessment with the responsible authorities was started.

The revised design of the terminal envisages bypassing the biotope “Species-rich gravel, coarse sand and shellgrounds” protected under the Federal Nature Conservation Act via a sub-sea gas pipeline.

The final investment decision on the construction of the terminal will be taken based on sufficient demand from market participants and economic viability – provided that all necessary public approval and permitting processes are concluded successfully, the statement reads.