BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Despite the great resistance on Rügen, the government coalition is sticking to the plan to build a liquid gas terminal on the coast of the Baltic Sea island. “If we want to be on the safe side (…), then we need more LNG capacities in the Baltic Sea region,” said the deputy energy policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Bengt Bergt, on Wednesday evening in the Bundestag at the first reading of the LNG Acceleration Act. In it, the port of Mukran near Sassnitz is to be expressly listed as an LNG location in order to pave the way for faster approval of the terminal.
The FDP also expressly endorsed the project in the parliamentary debate. Only Green MP Lisa Badum expressed doubts as to whether the targeted number of new LNG terminals was actually necessary. “From my current perspective, I can’t give a clear yes to that.”
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is intended to make Germany independent of Russian gas supplies. For its import, several terminals are to be built by 2027 – including on Rügen. However, local critics fear negative effects on nature conservation and tourism.
The mayor of Binz, Karsten Schneider, therefore campaigned for the vote in the Bundestag, which is expected to take place in two weeks, to release the members of parliamentary group discipline. The non-party local politician argued that the decision about the “enormous consequences” must be left to the conscience of every elected official