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STADE (dpa-AFX) - Following the floating LNG terminals in Wilhelmshaven in Lower Saxony, Lubmin in Western Pomerania and Brunsbüttel in Schleswig-Holstein, another jetty for liquefied natural gas will be built on the Lower Elbe in Stade. The terminals are needed to ensure security of supply, said Lower Saxony's Economics Minister Olaf Lies at the official start of construction on Friday.

The 300-million-euro terminal in Stade is scheduled to go into operation next winter. Five billion cubic meters of natural gas are to be handled there annually. This corresponds to six percent of Germany's gas consumption, the Lower Saxony port company announced. The floating facility is to be used until the stationary one with a higher capacity starts operations three years later.

Germany is relying on LNG, among other things, to replace failing Russian gas supplies. It is rapidly building its own infrastructure for this purpose. Overall, Germany plans to meet up to one-third of its current gas demand via the floating LNG terminals in the winter of 2023/2024./jbi/DP/nas