LNG

The German Association of Transmission System Operators (FNB Gas) said the timetable has been set up for having a shared natural gas pipeline system with hydrogen in Germany's huge pipeline network.

The TSOs in Germany and regulated operators of gas and hydrogen transport networks are obliged by law to set up and operate the network in an equal and non-discriminatory manner.

“In order to fulfil this shared responsibility, the network operators have commissioned FNB Gas as a service provider to fulfil changeover legal tasks,” the FNB said.

The scenario framework for the first integrated gas and hydrogen network development plan is to be handed over to Germany’s Federal Network Agency on June 30, 2024.

The newly established coordination office for the integrated network development planning for gas and hydrogen (KO.NEP) has now officially begun work.

The task of the KO.NEP is to coordinate the future development of the gas and hydrogen system and to submit them to the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) every two years.

Central contact

“It acts as the central contact for authorities and market participants on network development planning issues in the areas of gas and hydrogen and is also responsible for the creation and operation of the legally required databases for the gas and hydrogen network,” the statement added.

FNB Gas Managing Director Barbara Fischer said the body had already gained valuable experience in coordinating gas network development planning.

“We have been supporting the development of the hydrogen core network with great commitment for over a year,” explained Fischer.

“We will bring this knowledge about the processes and content of network planning in both areas into the new coordination office,” she added.

“We have put together a competent team to carry out the coordination office’s tasks,” Fischer stated.

FNB Gas has also previously outlined the future role of LNG import facilities at the coastal locations of the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven, at Brunsbüttel on the Elbe and at the Baltic ports of Lubmin and Mukran.

Members

FNB Gas, which comes from the German words Fernleitungsnetzbetreiber, groups a dozen companies overseeing 40,000 kilometres (25,000 miles) of natural gas pipeline flows and other infrastructure.

Members of FNB Gas are the following TSOs: bayernets GmbH, Ferngas Netzgesellschaft GmbH, Fluxys TENP GmbH, Gascade Gastransport GmbH, Gastransport Nord GmbH, Gasunie Deutschland Transport Services GmbH, GRTgaz Deutschland GmbH, Nowega GmbH, ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH, Open Grid Europe GmbH, Terranets BW GmbH and Thyssengas GmbH.

Trading Hub Europe GmbH, Germany’s market area manager for the nation’s natural gas system and now including deliveries to four LNG import destinations, has arranged a series of meetings in German and English to engage in discussions with market participants and present forthcoming changes in the German gas market.

Oct 3 (LNGJ) - Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany are scheduled to receive assorted cargo deliveries this week. The vessel “LNG Benue” with 142,990 cubic metres capacity is scheduled to deliver a shipment from Nigeria on October 8 to the Belgian import terminal at Zeebrugge, according to shipping data.

   The “Traiano Knutsen” with 180,000 of capacity will discharge a US cargo on October 6 at the Dutch floating import facilities at Eemshaven in Groningen. The cargo was loaded on September 18 at the Corpus Christi export plant in Texas. The carrier “Arctic Discoverer” with 139,760 cubic metres capacity is due to unload a cargo from Norway on October 5 at the German North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven. The shipment was lifted on September 23 from the Hammerfest plant in Northern Norway.

Sept 28 (LNGJ) - Three cargoes are heading for the European Union nations, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium in the days ahead. The LNG carrier “Rias Baixas Knutsen” with capacity of 180,000 cubic metres is scheduled to discharge a US cargo on September 29 at the floating terminal at the German North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven, according to shipping data. The cargo was lifted on September 8 from the Cameron export point in Louisiana.

   The vessel “Woodside Rees Withers” with 173,400 cubic metres capacity is due to unload a US shipment on September 30 at the Dutch Gate terminal in Rotterdam. The cargo was lifted on September 17 from the Corpus Christi export plant in Texas. The carrier “Clean Vision” with 162,000 cubic metres of capacity is scheduled to deliver a Russian cargo on September 30 to the Belgian terminal at Zeebrugge. The cargo was loaded on September 22 at the Yamal Arctic export plant at Sabetta.

Höegh LNG Ltd, the owner and operator of 13 LNG vessels including floating storage and regasification (FSRU) units, said it was focusing ensuring that FSRU projects commence operations as planned for customers in Germany, France and Brazil over the coming months as it posted increased profits.

May 10 (LNGJ) - Germany was receiving its second US LNG delivery of the week after the first was discharged earlier at the terminal in the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven by the carrier “Stena Crystal Sky” with 173,000 cubic metres of capacity. That cargo was lifted from the Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana on April 24, according to shipping data. The US cargo was delivered as the German Trading Hub Europe (THE) wholesale natural gas price was last at the equivalent of $11.800 per million British thermal units.

   A second LNG delivery was scheduled to be unloaded at the Baltic port of Lubmin on May 10 from the 170,000 cubic metres capacity ship, the “Seapeak Bahrain”. The carrier was loaded on April 17 at the Cameron LNG plant in Louisiana.

April 13 (LNGJ) - Two US LNG cargoes are heading for Germany next week. The “LNG Rosenrot” with 177,000 cubic metres of capacity is scheduled to deliver a cargo on April 20 from Freeport export plant in Texas to the floating LNG facility at the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven, according to shipping data

   The “Minerva Amorgos” with 174,000 metres capacity is also due to deliver a cargo on April 20 from the Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana to the German Baltic Sea terminal at Lubmin.

The German Association of Transmission System Operators (FNB Gas), has outlined the future role of liquefied natural gas facilities at the coastal locations of the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven, at Brunsbüttel on the Elbe River and at the Baltic Port of Lubmin.

Höegh LNG Holdings, the owner of 10 floating storage and regasification units and two conventional LNG carriers, reported net losses for the fourth quarter and the year during a busy period as three vessels were prepared for FSRU operations in Germany and Brazil.

Jan 10 (LNGJ) - While Northern Germany is dominating the nation’s LNG development, Southern Germany continues to make the headlines in German crude oil production. UK-based Neptune Energy has announced first oil output from its operated Rӧmerberg 6 well in the city of Speyer in the southwest state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Initial production tests indicate flow rates of up to 1,800 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

   “Römerberg 6 is the ninth production well on the field first discovered in 2003 and is expected to increase Neptune’s production in the Rhine Valley to around 3,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day,” said Neptune. “We are committed to further developing the Römerberg oil field and to increasing production capacity over the coming years,” said Andreas Scheck, Neptune’s Managing Director in Germany.