German utility RWE's trading arm received its first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at Brunsbuettel port from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) on Wednesday, saying the gas will be fed into to onshore pipelines from the end of this month.
The cargo was delivered on the vessel ISH to the floating LNG terminal "Hoegh Gannet" at Brunsbuettel. The terminal was chartered by RWE on behalf of the German government as part of efforts to ensure supply after Russia cut exports.
Germany has been increasing LNG purchases via existing European terminals and built up floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) terminals on its coastlines in record time.
ADNOC and RWE agreed a deal last year on several years of LNG supplies to Germany from 2023.
"I am pleased that we have ADNOC as a strong partner at our side and that we are working together to make Germany's energy supply as secure as possible," said Andree Stracke, chief executive of RWE Supply & Trading.
Germany's multi-layered strategy to cope without Russian gas also includes increased imports from European neighbors via North Sea gas pipelines, gas savings drives and the building of inventories.
"ADNOC Gas stands ready to provide further shipments of this key transition fuel to our partner, RWE and German industry," ADNOC Gas acting CEO Ahmed Alebri was quoted as saying in the RWE statement.
A total of six FSRUs will become operational this year in Germany, to be replaced in future years by land-based regasification terminals as they become operational.
Further ahead, RWE and peers have plans to build import terminals for green ammonia and hydrogen to convert the coastal sites to import and produce low-carbon fuels.
(Reuters - Reporting by Vera Eckert/Editing by David Goodman)