Source: Energy & Management Powernews, March 21, 2022
Just a few days ago, a letter of intent was signed to build Germany's first LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel. Now RWE is following up with a second project.
In the immediate vicinity of the planned terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Brunsbüttel, RWE wants to realize - also promptly - another project: A terminal for green energy imports. The company is counting on green ammonia as the most competitive hydrogen derivative. According to a company statement, the project is intended to help facilitate the subsequent conversion of the entire site to green molecules. This underlines the company's claim, as a shareholder in the LNG terminal, to pay particular attention to its green conversion. Brunsbüttel could thus become a beacon for the decarbonization of industrial society.
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck (Greens) commented, "The Russian war of aggression on Ukraine has made it abundantly clear that we must become independent of Russian energy imports. The LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel is an important building block for this, because it expands our import possibilities." RWE's second central project, which is now being added, could make an important contribution to supplying Germany with green hydrogen. At the same time, important experience can be gained for the conversion from LNG to green hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives.
Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE AG, said, "It is now even more important to think climate protection and supply security together. We want to include the entire value chain in this lighthouse project - from import and conversion to transport and use by industrial customers."
Production of green hydrogen also planned
Brunsbuettel Ports GmbH is providing support for the realization of the project, both with land and as a logistics partner with port infrastructure for unloading the ammonia tankers in the Elbehafen. Managing Director Frank Schnabel: "We have already been in a regular exchange with RWE for many years and now the talks are bearing fruit in this project. Our objective in Brunsbüttel of shaping the present with gas and developing the future with hydrogen are ideally combined with the plans for the LNG terminal and the ammonia terminal."
About 300,000 metric tons of green ammonia per year are expected to arrive in Germany via the terminal as early as 2026 and be redistributed to customers. The next step is to build a cracker on a large industrial scale at the terminal to produce green hydrogen on site as well. This will then be transported to industrial customers via a dedicated H2 pipeline. With this expansion stage, an expansion of the ammonia volume to 2 million tons per year is also planned.
RWE expects investments in the mid three-digit million euro range.
Author: Günter Drewnitzky
