The offtake accord is, however, conditional on Woodside taking a positive financial investment decision (FID) on the Scarborough gas development in Western Australia.
Uniper, Germany’s largest power producer and one of Europe’s largest utilities, said is strategic marketing is focused on providing energy solutions for power stations, industrial facilities, electricity grids in the Middle East, the Americas and Asia as well as in Europe. In short, that’s a focus on midstream gas consumers in the regions that import LNG as a fuel for power generation.
Brunsbüttel FSRU to diversify Germany’s gas sources
Gas is imported to Germany exclusively by pipeline- mostly from Russia, Norway and the Netherlands - and strikingly Europe’s largest economy to date has no infrastructure for the direct import of LNG. But the Germany government has given the green light to an LNG import terminal, noting this should be seen as “a gesture of goodwill to our American friends.”
The Dutch companies Gasunie and Vopak, together with Germany’s Oiltanking, formed a joint venture last year called German LNG terminal that they plan to build in Brunsbüttel at a cost of €450 million ($526 million). Once build, the facility could meet about 10% of Germany’s gas demand.
A “considerable part” of the terminal’s total capacity of 5 billion cubic metres has already been contracted long-term by RWE in an open season held by German LNG Terminal GmbH.
“LNG remains a key growth area for RWE: this agreement will enable us to continue growing our portfolio and provide us with additional flexibility to take advantage of new opportunities as they present themselves in the global LNG market,“ commented Andree Stracke, RWE’s Chief Commercial Officer Gas Supply & Origination.
Apart from the Brunsbüttel LNG project, at least two other cities are competing to be the chosen site, Altmaier noted. Wilhelmshaven is understood to be one of them.