MUKRAN (dpa-AFX) – While the federal government is continuing to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Mukran in the east of Rügen, the ongoing LNG import on the island is causing displeasure. After recent complaints about the background noise there, a spokesman for the company Deutsche Regas said on Monday: “We firmly assume that this is the tanker ship lying in front of the roadstead.” According to the police, at least ten such reports have been received since the weekend. Community and tourism officials also reported noise, which was described as booming. “We take this extremely seriously,” said the spokesman for Deutsche Regas.
The tanker “Seapeak Bahrain” arrived off Rügen at the weekend and was anchored about five kilometers off Binz on Monday evening. Normally, attempts are made to transfer the LNG for the terminal already operated in Lubmin to another tanker directly further out, so that the incoming ships do not have to go to the roadstead, said the spokesman for Deutsche Regas.
However, there are certain cases in which the ships also go to the roadstead for customs reasons. According to him, aggregates are running on the tankers, which, among other things, ensure gas pressure equalization. Deutsche Regas has no means of simply relocating the ship or changing the anchorage. However, one is in talks with politicians and authorities. One option would be to have a new anchorage designated. Complaints had already been raised in March after a tanker had gone to the roadstead due to bad weather.
Meanwhile, the water police pointed out the applicable safety distances to the LNG ships on Monday. It is becoming increasingly apparent that these are not being complied with. “Especially over the last weekend, police officers had to expel several sailing boats from the area around the Seapeak Hispania, which is at anchor,” the agency said. The ship serves as an interim storage facility off Rügen. Uninvolved vessels should keep a nautical mile distance.
According to the federal government, the import of LNG in the German Baltic Sea is to be reorganized and expanded. The floating terminal operated by Deutsche Regas is to be stationed together with another in Mukran in the east of Rügen. The shuttle service through the Greifswalder Bodden to Lubmin involving several ships off the coast of Rügen would thus be eliminated.
Around ten billion cubic meters of natural gas should be able to be fed in every year. Originally, the federal government had planned with more special ships and a higher capacity.
For the construction of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal planned in Mukran, the port in the east of the island of Rügen is to be included in the LNG Acceleration Act (LNGG). This became known on Monday from circles of the Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWK). The inclusion is intended to pave the way for a faster approval process. The specific planning documents would have to be checked by the competent state authorities.
According to current estimates, the BMWK still considers commissioning in the first quarter of 2024 to be possible. However, this is highly uncertain and depends on the start of the project and the approval process. Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) said on Friday during a visit to Mukran that the federal cabinet would have to decide to include Mukran in the LNGG in May so that the Bundestag can also vote before the summer break.
The planned terminal is controversial. Critics, especially on the island, are concerned about tourism, which is particularly important there, but also about the environment and criticize the creation of overcapacities that they believe are unnecessary. According to the BMWK, the terminal is necessary for the security of energy supply for Germany and the EU. The terminal should therefore prevent bottlenecks when the winter gets colder or there are failures in the existing infrastructure or ongoing deliveries from Russia to the EU. In addition, the location in the east with connections to numerous lines is important.
A pipeline around 50 kilometers long is to connect Mukran to Lubmin. The defunct German-Russian pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 land here, and there are several large-capacity lines for onward distribution./chh/DP/jha