Germany to initiate construction of second liquefied natural gas terminal

The Excelsior LNG terminal, located in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, commenced commercial operations on August 29, marking a significant step forward in the country's energy supply. This is Deutsche Energy Terminal's (DET) second LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven, and it follows the successful operation of the first terminal, which began in December 2022.

The terminal, operated by the US-based LNG company Excelerate Energy, will feed up to 1.9 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas into the German gas grid in 2025. All capacities for 2026 were also purchased. In the two subsequent years, Excelsior's regasification and grid feed-in capacity will reach up to 4.6 bcm each.

Excelerate Energy owns the FSRU Excelsior and manages its full operations, including onboard regasification services. The terminal's operations on land are entrusted to Gasfin Services. The Lithuanian LNG company KN Energies has been entrusted with the commercial management, technical operations, and maintenance of the terminal.

The terminal uses ECOnnect's flexible pipeline system for the direct transfer of natural gas to land without a pipe bridge, which has significantly reduced the impact on the seabed ecosystem. The terminal also uses a unique ultrasonic process for cleaning the FSRU's seawater pipeline system.

Danny van Schie, Managing Director of Gasfin Services, stated that Wilhelmshaven02 is the second terminal managed operationally on behalf of DET, following Brunsbüttel. Darius Šilenskis, CEO of KN Energies, mentioned that the company will draw upon its experience from operations and maintenance of LNG terminals in Lithuania and Brazil.

The terminal had received approval under hazardous incident regulations from the Oldenburg Trade Supervisory Authority on August 1. The terminal was commissioned at the end of May.

DET offered regasification capacities for security of supply and filling gas storage facilities before the next heating season. These capacities were fully purchased by traders in a marketing round at the beginning of July.

With the Excelsior LNG terminal now fully operational, it is poised to play a crucial role in Germany's energy supply, contributing to a more diverse and secure energy mix.