Apr 7, 2025
Germany's Mukran LNG terminal was operating at 5% capacity during the first quarter.
Germany's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Mukran, located in the Baltic Sea port, operated at only 5% capacity in the first quarter of 2025, according to an analysis released on Monday. This comes amid local resistance and criticism regarding its environmental effects and excess capacity.
To replace Russian pipeline supplies, Germany has broadened its natural gas import avenues and deployed floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), raising concerns about overcapacity.
The utilization of the Mukran LNG terminal fell to 5% in the first quarter from 14% a year prior, when it was still functioning in Lubmin, a port town close to the Polish border, based on a study by German Environmental Aid (DUH) using data from Gas Infrastructure Europe.
In contrast, North Sea LNG terminals in Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbuettel, operated by the state-owned Deutsche Energy Terminal GmbH (DET), reported utilization rates of 49% and 83%, respectively.
On its approval anniversary on April 9, DUH noted that the terminal contributed only 1.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to the grid last year, which accounts for about 1.5% of Germany's total gas consumption.
Sascha Mueller-Kraenner, the managing director of DUH, stated that "the Ruegen LNG terminal is not merely a fossil dead end that poses a serious threat to the climate and our future, but it also represents a bad investment that was predictable."
The project has faced local opposition from the resort town of Binz, which claims it detracts from tourism in one of Germany's top tourist destinations and is harmful to marine life, although legal challenges against it have been dismissed.
Deutsche Regas, the operator of the Mukran terminal, reported that the terminal is supplying 120–150 gigawatt hours per day to the German grid, with expectations for stable volume levels.
The company emphasized that the value of essential energy infrastructure is not gauged by short-term usage, but rather by available capacity, usage during high demand or crises, and primarily by long-term utilization.
It also provides regasification services through "take-or-pay" slot contracts, ensuring the collection of terminal fees irrespective of actual usage.
In February, Deutsche Regas announced the end of the charter contract for Energos Power FSRU, citing competitive disadvantages compared to terminals run by DET.
On Friday, Deutsche Regas initiated a bidding process for long-term regasification capacity at Mukran, offering an additional 5 bcm per year from 2027 to 2043. The company also stated its intention to reactivate a second FSRU, aiming to restore the terminal's full exit capacity of 13.5 bcm annually by 2027. According to DUH, Mukran's capacity was not modified by Deutsche Regas even after Energos Power's withdrawal.
To replace Russian pipeline supplies, Germany has broadened its natural gas import avenues and deployed floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), raising concerns about overcapacity.
The utilization of the Mukran LNG terminal fell to 5% in the first quarter from 14% a year prior, when it was still functioning in Lubmin, a port town close to the Polish border, based on a study by German Environmental Aid (DUH) using data from Gas Infrastructure Europe.
In contrast, North Sea LNG terminals in Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbuettel, operated by the state-owned Deutsche Energy Terminal GmbH (DET), reported utilization rates of 49% and 83%, respectively.
On its approval anniversary on April 9, DUH noted that the terminal contributed only 1.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to the grid last year, which accounts for about 1.5% of Germany's total gas consumption.
Sascha Mueller-Kraenner, the managing director of DUH, stated that "the Ruegen LNG terminal is not merely a fossil dead end that poses a serious threat to the climate and our future, but it also represents a bad investment that was predictable."
The project has faced local opposition from the resort town of Binz, which claims it detracts from tourism in one of Germany's top tourist destinations and is harmful to marine life, although legal challenges against it have been dismissed.
Deutsche Regas, the operator of the Mukran terminal, reported that the terminal is supplying 120–150 gigawatt hours per day to the German grid, with expectations for stable volume levels.
The company emphasized that the value of essential energy infrastructure is not gauged by short-term usage, but rather by available capacity, usage during high demand or crises, and primarily by long-term utilization.
It also provides regasification services through "take-or-pay" slot contracts, ensuring the collection of terminal fees irrespective of actual usage.
In February, Deutsche Regas announced the end of the charter contract for Energos Power FSRU, citing competitive disadvantages compared to terminals run by DET.
On Friday, Deutsche Regas initiated a bidding process for long-term regasification capacity at Mukran, offering an additional 5 bcm per year from 2027 to 2043. The company also stated its intention to reactivate a second FSRU, aiming to restore the terminal's full exit capacity of 13.5 bcm annually by 2027. According to DUH, Mukran's capacity was not modified by Deutsche Regas even after Energos Power's withdrawal.