New milestone in the construction of the LNG import infrastructure in Brunsbüttel
20 Jan 2023 15:20 Economy
On the occasion of the arrival of the FSRU (Floating Storage and Regasification Unit) "Hoegh Gannet" in Brunsbüttel, an official arrival ceremony took place today in Brunsbüttel's Elbehafen. The ceremony was attended by Morten Hoegh, Chairman of the Hoegh shipping company, Dr Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE AG, Frank Schnabel, Managing Director of Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH / SCHRAMM group, and high-ranking political guests such as Dr Robert Habeck, Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Daniel Günther, Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein, and Tobias Goldschmidt, Minister of Energy of Schleswig-Holstein.
The now more than ten-year effort to establish an LNG import infrastructure at the port and industrial site of Brunsbüttel culminated today in the arrival at Brunsbüttel's Elbehafen of the FSRU, a special vessel in which cryogenic liquefied natural gas is heated and returned to its gaseous state. As the private owner and operator of the port, Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH is providing the necessary port infrastructure where the "Hoegh Gannet" will be berthed in the future. In recent months, the project team has been working under enormous time pressure to realise the first of a total of two phases of the complex project concerning the Elbehafen as quickly as possible. In order to be able to start the operation of the FSRU in Brunsbüttel Elbehafen in this first phase, not only various construction measures were implemented in the port, but also a three-kilometre-long connection pipeline was built to feed the natural gas into the existing gas network.
Managing Director Frank Schnabel emphasises: "We have achieved things here in Brunsbüttel that would have been considered impossible in the past. Within a very short time, our project team, in close cooperation with various project partners, the federal government, the state and the responsible authorities, created the conditions for the FSRU to be moored in Brunsbüttel's Elbehafen. In the process, we had to overcome numerous challenges under enormous pressure. After ten years of working hard for LNG at the Brunsbüttel site, we are now taking a big step together towards a secure and independent gas supply."
Daniel Günther, Minister President of the State of Schleswig-Holstein, also emphasises the extraordinary importance of this milestone: "In just a few months, we have succeeded in realising this project and thus making a contribution to Germany's energy independence. This is a joint achievement of which we in Schleswig-Holstein can be proud. Many thanks to everyone who worked on the planning, approval and completion for the commissioning of the FSRU. With the floating terminal in Brunsbüttel, we are securing our gas supply and opening up new opportunities in the future, such as hydrogen imports. Schleswig-Holstein will thus further strengthen its position as a strong and reliable energy location."
For the time being, the FSRU is still moored at the middle berth of the pier in the Elbehafen until the last remaining work on the ship can be completed. Once this remaining work has been completed, the FSRU can be moved to its existing berth in the port's hazardous goods area, which was intended for the first project phase. This will be followed by the second project phase, which also envisages an expansion of the port. Specifically, a new pier, the so-called jetty, will be approved and built as a western extension of the existing dangerous goods berth, which will then serve as a long-term berth for the FSRU. This long-term solution will allow the existing dangerous goods berth at Brunsbüttel Elbehafen to be used again for existing operational handling activities.
In addition to the realisation of the ambitious FSRU project, Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH was able to record a 13% increase in throughput last year with its three Brunsbüttel ports in the Elbe and the Kiel Canal, making it a successful year. As a high-performance freight hub and important energy hub with nationwide significance, the port and industrial location of Brunsbüttel thus plays a key role in Germany's energy supply security. Due to its location both in the ChemCoast Park Brunsbüttel, the largest contiguous industrial area in the country, and in the Hamburg metropolitan region, Brunsbüttel offers ideal conditions for the establishment of a versatile energy import infrastructure for LNG, but also for green energy sources. In addition to the construction of a landside LNG import terminal, the construction of an ammonia import terminal is also planned in Brunsbüttel in the immediate vicinity of the Elbehafen.
"Brunsbüttel is currently setting completely new standards with the planning for numerous energy-related projects. As a first step, we have built the necessary infrastructure to import LNG. We are now building on the successes achieved in this process to develop the future with green hydrogen as well," says Schnabel.
New milestone in the construction of the LNG import infrastructure in Brunsbüttel
Press contact
Frank Schnabel
Managing Director of Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH
Phone: 04852-884-35
E-Mail: f.schnabel@schrammgroup.de
