BERLIN (AP) – Germany opened its second liquefied natural gas terminal on Saturday, part of an effort by Europe’s largest economy to become more reliant on Russian energy sources.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz attended the ceremony in Lubmin on the Baltic Sea coast, a month after he opened Germany’s first LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea. Several more are expected to come online in the coming months, including one in Lubmin.
The terminals are part of an effort to avert an energy crisis that also includes temporarily restarting old oil and coal-fired power plants and extending the life of Germany’s last three nuclear plants, which were due to shut down at the end of 2022. , until the middle of April.
Days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Scholz announced that his government had decided to quickly build the first LNG terminals.
Germany has also been working to fill gas storage facilities ahead of winter. Last week, Germany’s grid regulator said gas shortages were “less likely” this winter.
Russia used to supply more than half of Germany’s natural gas, but has not since late August. It has sent gas mainly under the Baltic Sea through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which comes ashore at Lubmin.
“We are getting through this winter … gas supplies are not disrupted and we can secure them everywhere in Germany, unlike what many feared for a long time,” Scholz said on Saturday. “The economic crisis also failed to materialize in Germany,” he added, pointing to government support programs, decisions to secure energy supplies and falling gas prices on global markets.
Scholz praised the speed with which the first terminals were built and said a special regasification vessel was needed for Germany’s third terminal at Brunsbuettel on the North Sea coast. will arrive next week.
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