(Reuters) - Just a few weeks after the premiere in Wilhelmshaven, the second terminal for the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Germany is to be opened in Lubmin on the Baltic Sea on Saturday.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck are once again expected to attend the official opening. LNG plays an important role in Germany's efforts to become independent of Russian natural gas supplies, which have largely been a thing of the past since last year. The German government and various companies are pushing ahead with plans for LNG terminals in Germany. Here is an overview of the most important projects.

The German government has chartered five floating LNG terminals (Floating Storage and Regasification Units, FSRU). These special ships are to receive the cooled liquefied gas from other ships and convert it into its original gaseous state, which is then fed into the German gas grid. Each FSRU has a capacity of at least five billion cubic meters per year - around five percent of Germany's annual consumption or ten percent of current supplies from Russia. The Federal Ministry of Economics has estimated the costs from 2022 to 2038 at up to 9.7 billion euros.

LUBMIN/OSTSEE

The "German Baltic Sea" terminal is the first fully privately financed floating liquefied natural gas terminal in this country. According to the plans of the Deutsche ReGas consortium, the facility will have an annual capacity of up to 5.2 billion cubic meters. Pipeline operator Gascade completed the connection to the pipeline network on land, the North German Gas Pipeline (NEL) and the Baltic Sea Pipeline Link (OPAL), on November 25.

In addition, an FSRU leased from the German government is to be deployed in Lubmin this year.

WILHELMSHAVEN

The energy group Uniper is bringing LNG ashore here using an FSRU on behalf of the German government. The first floating unit, named "Höegh Esperanza", arrived in Wilhelmshaven in mid-December.

The energy company E.ON, the investors Tree Energy Solutions (TES) and the French utility Engie also want to operate a floating plant in Wilhelmshaven on behalf of the German government, which can go into operation at the start of the 2023 heating season. An FSRU chartered for five years from Excelerate Energy will be used for this purpose. TES also plans to commission an onshore hydrogen terminal in Wilhelmshaven from 2025.

BRUNSBÜTTEL

The energy group RWE is the main investor in the Elbehafen LNG project company, which is to operate an FSRU on behalf of the German government. The facility is scheduled to go into operation at the beginning of 2023. RWE concluded an agreement with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in September. From 2023, ADNOC is to supply LNG to Germany in accordance with an agreement in principle - both via the floating terminal and via other routes. RWE, the Dutch pipeline operator Gasunie and the German state bank KFW have also signed a decision in principle for the construction of a fixed LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel with a capacity of around eight billion cubic meters. Construction could start this year and the terminal could be commissioned in 2026. The energy company Shell has agreed to purchase certain quantities. In the long term, the terminal is to be converted for the import of green hydrogen or hydrogen derivatives such as ammonia.

STADE

An FSRU is due to dock in the port of the city on the Elbe at the end of 2023 and will be operated by the Hanseatic Energy Hub (HEH) consortium on behalf of the German government. HEH also wants to build a fixed terminal. The group includes the Belgian grid operator Fluxys, the investor Partners Group, the logistics group Buss and the chemicals group Dow. The Karlsruhe-based utility EnBW intends to purchase three billion cubic meters annually. An investment decision is expected in the middle of this year. The fixed plant could go into operation in 2026.

(Compiled by Tom Käckenhoff, Vera Eckert, Christian Krämer. If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and the economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).