By Oliver Towfigh Nia
BERLIN (AA) – Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday inaugurated Germany’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the northern port city of Wilhelmshaven.
Scholz hailed the terminal as a “very, very important contribution to our security,” saying it will help reduced the country’s energy dependency on Russia.
After Moscow launched its war on Ukraine, Germany quickly decided to build its LNG infrastructure to make its energy supply independent of pipeline gas from Russia, he said.
Referring to plans to build four more LNG terminals by the end of 2023, Scholz said: “By the end of next year, we are expected to have an import capacity of over 30 billion cubic meters of gas.”
According to the German government, the planned LNG terminals can meet a third of the country’s natural gas needs.
Scholz gave the nod for the construction of terminals in Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbuttel on Feb. 27, just three days after the start of Ukraine war.
To receive enough LNG to replace Russian gas entirely in the coming years, Berlin is also building LNG terminals in Stade and Lubmin.
The German government is trying to diversify its natural gas supply sources by purchasing more gas from Norway and increasing imports via pipelines from Belgium and the Netherlands.
Before the Ukraine war, Russia was supplying 55% of Germany’s natural gas.
Since the Nord Stream pipeline blasts in September, Germany has been importing no gas from Russia.