International energy utility major and Germany's largest gas supplier Uniper SE, and the Netherlands-headed "green and clean" hydrogen company Tree Energy Solutions B.V. (TES) have announced cooperation with Niedersachsen Ports (NPorts), the largest operator of public seaports in Germany and a company of the state of Lower Saxony.
On the sidelines of the opening ceremony for the first German liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Wilhelmshaven, the three companies signed an agreement in the presence of State Minister for Economic Affairs Olaf Lies and State Minister for the Environment Christian Meyer.
The agreement provides for the planning of a new large joint import terminal with up to six berths for TES and for Uniper.
Niedersachsen Ports (NPorts) owns and operates five seaports, seven island supply ports, and three regional ports on the German North Sea coast.
Lower Saxony is an energy hub and will remain so in the future. Starting as early as 2026, we will develop the site of Wilhelmshaven as one of the central gates for green and clean energy in Germany. Only with additional terminals will we be able to continue to guarantee Germany’s energy supply security. So, with this project, TES and Uniper are making a significant contribution to Germany’s energy transition. We want to maintain the pace presented by Uniper, OGE, and our approval authorities at the first LNG terminal for further projects – that is what we call the ‘Neue Deutschlandgeschwindigkeit’, said Minister Olaf Lies.
The ports on the North Sea coast are of particular importance for the energy transition, and NPorts is pursuing the strategy of developing the locations as hubs for sustainable energy production.
I am very pleased that TES, Uniper, and NPorts are planning and building a new jetty for the landing of regeneratively generated “green gases”. This investment makes Wilhelmshaven the most important hub for climate-neutral gases in Germany. Now it’s time to take the momentum from the construction of the pier at the UVG bridge for the “Esperanza” project to achieve climate neutrality as quickly as possible. Because we cannot and do not want to make any compromises when it comes to climate protection, we have no more time to lose, said Minister Christian Meyer.
Look to importing green ammonia
In parallel, Uniper will conduct technical studies that should enable Uniper to import around 2.6 million tonnes of green ammonia per year.
This capacity plus the 1 GW electrolysis plant for hydrogen production planned as part of the Uniper Green Wilhelmshaven project could supply around 300 000 tonnes of green hydrogen, equivalent to 10-20 percent of the demand expected for 2030 throughout Germany.
We at Uniper will expand our leading role in the import of energy sources with our Green Wilhelmshaven lighthouse project and take a major step towards the decarbonization of our gas business. After the successful construction of the LNG terminal in record time, we at Uniper are now fully dedicated to the construction of the import terminal for green ammonia and the construction of the gigawatt of electrolysis to supply our customers with green hydrogen, said Dr Holger Kreetz, COO Asset Management Uniper.
FID in 2023
TES plans to take a Final Investment Decision (FID) in 2023, with the goal of starting the first phase of the largest import terminal in Europe in 2026. The terminal is expected to have a capacity of 20 million tonnes of LNG and eNG.
TES aims to begin importing the first eNG by the end of 2025 or early 2026 and to increase capacity to 5 million tonnes by 2030.
This new jetty in front of the Voslapper Groden will probably require investment funds of approximately EUR 500 million, the financing of which still has to be clarified.
According to TES, this investment in the necessary infrastructure for a carbon dioxide (CO2) free hydrogen economy and the planned import projects for green and decarbonized gases will make Wilhelmshaven the largest energy hub in Germany and will supply green energy as hydrogen for Germany as a business location in the future.
This will accelerate the development of a green import infrastructure that will enable a shift away from fossil fuel imports.
We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Uniper and NPorts to speed up the development of our Green Energy Hub. By converting sun and wind into sustainable eNG (electric natural gas) through the combination of green hydrogen and circular CO2, and utilizing existing infrastructure, we will be able to deliver green, secure energy to leading European industrial companies. This will not only assist these companies in their transition to green energies but also allow them to maintain competitiveness while significantly reducing carbon emissions, said Marco Alverà, CEO of TES.
