As of: May 4, 2024 1:56 p.m
The regasification ship “Neptune” was withdrawn from the port of Lubmin after a year and a half. According to gas network operator Gascade, around 1.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas were fed into the network, far less than originally forecast.
After almost a year and a half, the special ship “Neptune”, which was last stationed as a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Lubmin, Western Pomerania, left the industrial port there. Tugboats began maneuvering the more than 280-meter-long ship out of the rather narrow harbor for such ships on Saturday morning, a spokesman for Deutsche Regas said.
“Neptune” will soon increase its capacity in Mukran
According to Deutsche Regas, the ship is scheduled to arrive in Mukran in the northeast of Rügen this summer. In Mukran, the “Neptune” will act as a second floating LNG terminal in addition to the “Energos Power”, which is already located there, and increase the feed-in capacity. These ships are so-called Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRU), i.e. ships that not only load LNG, but also heat it and thereby return it to its gaseous state and feed it in as natural gas.
Stops off Rügen and at the shipyard
Before being stationed in Mukran, the “Neptune” will first anchor off Mukran for a few days in order to be weighted down and prepared for further travel with its own aircraft. She will then be converted for future use in a European shipyard before she can return to Rügen. The “Neptune” was one of the first floating LNG terminals in Germany. It reached its location in Lubmin at the end of 2022 and went into operation there at the beginning of 2023.
Less fed in than expected
According to the gas network operator Gascade, around 1.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas were fed into the network, less than expected. The operator of the terminal, which was approved under the LNG Acceleration Act, had originally assumed an entry capacity of up to 5.2 billion cubic meters per year. The fact that this value was not achieved was due to the weather conditions, according to the chairman of the supervisory board of Deutsche Regas, Stephan Knabe. The liquid natural gas had to be transported through the shallow Greifswalder Bodden in smaller tankers. Safety had priority.
Overcapacity and environmental damage
Deutsche Umwelthilfe criticizes the fact that the quantities actually achieved did not meet the requirements of the LNG Acceleration Act. The Rügen terminal is intended to achieve an entry capacity of more than 13 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year and is connected to the gas pipeline junction in Lubmin via a specially built pipeline. Other critics speak of unnecessary excess capacity and damage to the environment and nature.
The federal government defends the Rügen terminal with reference to security of supply. In view of the Russian attack on Ukraine, he pushed for the expansion of his own import infrastructure for LNG in order to become more independent of Russian gas.
Further information
Among other things, Deutsche Regas denies the high risk of explosion, which the Rügen community is taking to court. more
This means that regular operations are getting closer to mid-May. Objections to the approval are possible within one month. more
The Federal Administrative Court said that the project off Rügen was justified in view of the “ongoing gas supply crisis”. more
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NDR 1 Radio MV | News from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | May 4, 2024 | 13:00 ‘O clock