German LNG terminal ready for business

German LNG Terminal GmbH is a joint venture between Dutch companies Gasunie LNG Holding B.V. and Vopak LNG Holding B.V. as well as Oiltanking GmbH, a subsidiary of Marquard & Bahls AG based in Hamburg, Germany. The JV started its EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) prequalification process in June 2019.

The terminal will provide a wide range of services at Brunsbüttel, including the loading and unloading of LNG carriers, the temporary storage of LNG, regasification, feeding natural gas into the German natural gas network, and distribution of LNG via tank trucks, ships or rail tank cars.

IHK Schleswig-Holstein, the umbrella organisation of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Schleswig-Holstein has also welcomed the terminal plans.

Following a conference call meeting with Rolf Brouwer, managing director of German LNG Terminal, IHK’s managing director, Björn Ipsen, said: “The project offers enormous opportunities and development potential for the industrial location in Brunsbüttel and for the whole of Schleswig-Holstein.”

German LNG Terminal chose the Brunsbüttel location because its proximity to the industrial companies based in the region offers an attractive business environment. The North-Baltic Sea Canal (Kiel Canal), which runs alongside the planned terminal, means that Scandinavian and Baltic countries are easily accessible.

Europe has 36 LNG terminals through which LNG is brought ashore, but Germany has no LNG terminal of its own.