LNG

Oct 30 (LNGJ) - Germany launched a two-pronged diplomatic blitzkrieg of West and East Africa with the Chancellor and the President simultaneously visiting each side of the continent and seeking the permanent replacement of Russian natural gas with LNG imports from Africa and with the Germans expressing a willingness to invest in energy projects. Visiting Nigeria German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his country was willing to invest in natural gas in Nigeria, the largest LNG, gas and oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa. Before meeting Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu the Chancellor had spoken of his nation requiring “considerable” amounts of natural gas.

   While Chancellor Scholz was in Nigeria and later travelling on to the West African nation of Ghana, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was visiting the East African country of Tanzania, an emerging LNG nation with a project being developed by energy majors. Chancellor Scholz also last year visited Senegal, where floating LNG projects are being development and spoke at the time of German investment in West Africa oil and gas.

Spanish terminals and network operator Enagás loaded Germany's first floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), the “Höegh Esperanza”, before it arrived on December 15 at the German North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven. 

Germany, the leading European Union economy with plans for about half-a-dozen LNG import projects to replace halted Russian pipeline gas, has seen spot natural gas prices drop by over 55 percent since a government energy package was unveiled and the nation’s gas storage levels jumped to be almost full.