Today, the Höegh Esperanza vessel, a so-called Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), arrives in Wilhelmshaven at its new home for the coming years. The arrival of the FSRU marks an important milestone shortly before the opening of Germany's first LNG terminal on 17 December 2022.
The FSRU was previously loaded with around 165,000m³ of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Spain - enough to supply around 50-80,000 German households for a year. In future, Höegh Esperanza will no longer bring the LNG to Wilhelmshaven itself. Its task is to regasify delivered LNG and to feed at least five bcm of natural gas into the German gas grid each year. That is around six percent of Germany's gas demand, and would thus replace around eleven percent of Germany's gas imports from Russia.
Holger Kreetz, COO Asset Management Uniper: “There is still a lot to do before the first gas can flow in a few days. Nevertheless, after ten months of intensive work, it is a great moment to see the Höegh Esperanza dock here. The entire Uniper team and everyone else involved have every reason to be proud of what has been achieved. Only the good, determined cooperation between the companies, authorities and politicians has made this speed, which we should use as a blueprint for the energy transition, possible. ”
Peter Abdo, CCO LNG & Global Origination: "This is an absolute team success for everyone involved. It is a great feeling to finally see the arrival of the first FSRU in Wilhelmshaven after ten months of hard work. We are now looking forward to delivering the first regular LNG cargo in early January. This is the next step in actively supporting the German government and security of supply for Germany."