LNG

Trading Hub Europe (THE) GmbH, the virtual trading point for Germany’s natural gas market that includes LNG deliveries from nations such as the United States, has opened a tender until June 17 for market-maker services.

Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), the association representing the interests of European Union gas infrastructure operators in gas transmission, storage and liquefied natural gas, said the flow of LNG to European terminals hit its lowest since December 2021.

The GIE, which is based in Brussels and represents 70 member companies from 26 countries, provided the information from its gas grid data.

LNG supplies from the main terminals in the EU in nations such as Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Germany plunged in May 2024.

The decline in regasified LNG flowing into gas grids dropped by a quarter to around 6.75 million tonnes.

Regasified LNG flows were also down by 13 percent compard with April 2024.

Total LNG supplies from terminals to Europe’s gas pipeline system was also lower in the January to May period 2024.

More FSRUs 

The decreased regasified LNG volumes were logged even as the EU had more terminals in operation as floating facilities came on line in Italy and Germany.

The total for the year to date though May fell by 10 percent compared with the first five months of last year to reached around 37.5MT.

Another body in the EU, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG), said that by the end of May the share of LNG was still the largest among sources of gas supply to Europe in 2024, standing at 32 percent.

Thus compared the 28 percent of gas provided from the Norwegian Continental Shelf and another 18 percent that came from gas storage facilities.

Other sources of gas received in Europe included 10 percent recived by pipleines from Algeria.

The Algerian volumes were delivered directly to Spain or via Tunisia to Italy by way of Sicily.

The share of gas supplies from Russia and volumes via Ukraine came to 9.5 percent.

Another 2.5 percent of European gas volumes originated from the UK North Sea.

The US remained the largest supplier of LNG to import terminals in EU and the UK followed by Qatar.

The German Association of Transmission System Operators (FNB Gas) said that had been a “significant easing of the supply situation” and Germany was looking forward to natural gas energy security in the future.

Tree Energy Solutions (TES), the future energy hub developer at the German North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven, said regulators had exempted the planned onshore liquefied natural gas terminal within the “Green Energy Hub” from tariff and third-party access regulations for a period of 20 years from the start of operations.

Growing liquefied natural gas importer Germany has started following the UK in rolling back uneconomic goals for achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 with the German coalition government agreeing to relax environmental codes for the construction industry to boost the economy and increase energy requirements.

June 22 (LNGJ) – Two LNG cargoes are heading for Germany in the next week. The “LNG Rosenrot” carrier with 180,000 cubic metres capacity is scheduled to discharge a US shipment on June 25 at the Brunsbüttel import facility on the Elbe River north of Hamburg, according to shipping data. The cargo was loaded on June 12 at the Freeport plant in Texas.

   The “Wilpride” vessel with 156,000 cubic metres capacity is due to unload a cargo at the North Sea port of Willemshaven on June 30 that was lifted on June 14 from the US Cameron plant in Louisiana.

The German Federal Government enjoyed full public support for floating LNG terminals fast-tracked in 2022 and early 2023 for North Sea, Elbe River and Baltic port projects, though is now facing opposition for a fifth out of six proposed floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) to be deployed at Rügen, Germany’s largest island in the Baltic Sea.

Jan 19 (LNGJ) - Höegh LNG Holdings has signed a second binding 10-year charter deal with the German Federal Government for a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and has allocated the vessel “Hoegh Gannet” to the contract. “The vessel ‘Hoegh Gannet’ will be deployed for the Elbehafen LNG project in Brunsbüttel and operated by Deutsche Energy Terminal GmbH,” said Höegh.

   The Elbehafen LNG import project is being developed by Germany utility RWE. Another of the company’s vessels, the “Höegh Esperanza”, was allocated to the project at the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven being operated by German utility Uniper. “We are proud to sign the second contract with the Federal Government of Germany for the new LNG import terminal in Brunsbüttel and look forward to starting operations together with RWE,” said Erik Nyheim, the President and Chief Executive of Höegh LNG.

German Chancellor Helmut Scholz has led an inauguration ceremony for the nation’s first LNG floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), the “Höegh Esperanza”, at the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven.

Dec 15 (LNGJ) - Höegh LNG Holdings said it signed a binding 10-year time charter contract with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The Norwegian shipping company added that its floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) “Höegh Esperanza” had been allocated to the contract.

   The company said the vessel would be located at the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven and be operated by German utility Uniper acting as agent on behalf of the charterer. “We are very pleased and honoured to be signing the time charter contract with the Federal Government of Germany and look forward to working in close collaboration with Uniper in Wilhelmshaven,” said Erik Nyheim, Höegh LNG’s President and Chief Executive.