At the opening of Germany’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64, SPD) praised the speed of construction.
“This is now the new pace in Germany, with which we are promoting infrastructure and it should be a role model not only for this factory, but for many, many others,” Scholz said on a ship outside the terminal on Saturday. in Wilhelmshaven. In that respect, it is a good day for Germany, a good sign for the whole world that the German economy will be able to remain economically strong, produce and meet this challenge.
«Important contribution to our security»
The floating terminal off the North Sea coast of Lower Saxony is intended to close the gap in Germany’s gas supply caused by the lack of deliveries from Russia. Four more terminals are to be built by the end of next year: one in Brunsbüttel (Schleswig-Holstein), Stade (Lower Saxony) and Lubmin (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) – and one in Wilhelmshaven.
Scholz said the Wilhelmshaven terminal was a “very, very important contribution to our security”. After the war of aggression against Ukraine, the German government quickly decided to build an LNG terminal infrastructure to make the energy supply independent of pipeline gas from Russia.
“For example, when we said that such a terminal should be built here in Wilhelmshaven this year, many said: ‘It can never be done, it will never succeed.’ And: the opposite is true,” said Scholz. He thanked workers, engineers , companies and governments.
Environmental support announces legal action against LNG terminal
The German Environmental Service (DUH) has announced legal action against the LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven. The environmentalists complained on Saturday that the “quick and media-effective opening of Germany’s first LNG terminal” had accepted a hitherto “unique limitation of participation and environmental rights”. The LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven will be officially opened tomorrow morning by Chancellor Scholz.
Among other things, the DUH is disturbed by the unlimited operating license for the terminal from the Lower Saxony authorities, “although in order to meet the 1.5-degree limit, the German phase-out of natural gas must already be planned”. In addition, there was a threat of “enormous overcapacity” and thus an exceeding of the permitted CO2 emissions in the energy sector, although gas consumption should fall massively in the coming year. Last but not least, the discharge of large quantities of biocide was allowed, but should be banned. (SDA/chs)