Energy hub Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is the only German deep-water port where large tankers - such as those required for landing LNG or ammonia - can dock and tranship independently of the tides. With the connection of the terminal to the national natural gas pipeline network as well as the large natural gas storage facility in Etzel, Wilhelmshaven will assume a central role as an energy hub in northern Germany in the future.
The connection to the national natural gas grid enables onward distribution to large customers, such as industrial companies in the industrial Rhine-Ruhr region. In the Wilhelmshaven region, the energy transformation in Germany is thus being driven forward and a pull effect is being exerted on other economic sectors and companies.
In the long term, there are plans at the site to create additional unloading and handling facilities for hydrogen and its derivatives, for example ammonia. This will allow the full potential of the site to be utilized by the end of the 2020s.
The use of liquefied natural gas for energy supply in Germany thus serves as a bridging technology towards a green future with hydrogen (derivatives). Germany's security of supply must be ensured in the short to medium term via LNG until a competitive global hydrogen market is in place.
However, this does not mean losing sight of the long-term goal: a green energy supply. This can be achieved by using hydrogen as an energy source.