Uniper, a German energy company, has abandoned plans to construct a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Wilhelmshaven, instead opting to build a renewable hydrogen hub there.
“A demand test to demonstrate binding interest revealed that there is currently insufficient interest in the LNG sector in terms of booking massive, long-term LNG regasification capacities in Germany,” the company said in a statement.
It is currently conducting a feasibility analysis for a hydrogen centre, which would include a renewable ammonia import terminal and a 410 megawatt electrolysis facility.
The Wilhelmshaven hub “will be capable of meeting about 295,000 tonnes of hydrogen annually, or about 10% of Germany’s 2030 demand,” says the group.
According to the environmental NGO Environmental Action Germany, “Uniper’s proposal for an LNG terminal was scrapped because the operation would have required the manufacture of shale coal, which is especially harmful to the environment and ecosystem.
” In the light of the company’s decision, the operators in Brunsbüttel and Stade must now ask themselves if they can begin preparations,” said DUH head Sascha Müller-Kraenner.
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