Germany's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Elbe River port of Stade expects its first floating regasification vessel (FSRU) to arrive early on Friday, the state-appointed manager of regasification terminals, said on Thursday.
Germany has been increasing LNG import capacity since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 forced it to find alternatives to Russian pipeline gas.
The FSRU Energos Force, formerly called Transgas Force before a change of ownership, will undergo several weeks of test operations before being able to deliver up to 5 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year into German grids, a statement from national terminal operator DET said.
It added the new capacity, enough to supply five million households a year, will contribute to the security of supply and gas price stability in Germany and Europe.
"This third DET LNG import terminal is an important step for many companies that, despite technical efforts, are still dependent on large quantities of natural gas for the time being," Managing Director Peter Roettgen said.
DET also oversees the Brunsbuettel and Wilhelsmhaven LNG terminals on the North Sea.
The Energos Force is owned by Energos Infrastructure, an affiliate of Apollo Global Management.
Energos Infrastructure will handle regasification at the terminal, while the coordination of the LNG carrier berthing, gas flows and reporting will be managed by KN Energies, a Lithuanian operator, on behalf of DET.
DET had commissioned project firm Hanseatic Energy Hub (HEH) to build the structure for technical operation and maintenance in cooperation with Dow DOW.N Chemicals, which has a site in the vicinity and wants to be involved in an emerging clean ammonia business.
DET also said Wilhelmshaven expects another FSRU to be in operation by the end of the year.
(Reuters - Reporting by Vera Eckert, editing by Rachel More and Barbara Lewis)