Wilhelmshaven: NPorts Is Starting Construction on Germany’s First LNG Jetty

At present, Wilhelmshaven is the only location among Niedersachsen’s ports (and Germany-wide) in a position to establish an LNG import facility on short notice. An existing port facility will be equipped in such a way that a floating regasification unit (FSRU) can be permanently implemented there and connected to the gas pipeline network. The first FSRU is scheduled to be moored to the UVG bridge (cargo handling facility Voslapper Groden) as early as winter of 2022/2023.

Today in Wilhelmshaven, Federal Minister Dr. Robert Habeck and State Minister Olaf Lies initiated the first official pile-driver impact for the start of construction of the jetty’s infrastructure. 

Dr. Bernd Althusmann, who is Niedersachsen Ports’ Supervisory Board Chairman and also Niedersachsen's Minister for Economic Affairs, declares: “As NPorts’ head of the supervisory board I am happy to announce that the NPorts team was able to compile the planning documents on short notice, which gave us a nice head start on this project. Today’s commencement of construction sends a strong signal: LNG will play a major role during the rearrangement of our energy supply in Germany. With the locations Stade and Wilhelmshaven, Niedersachsen offers the best conditions for the accommodation of Germany’s first LNG terminals. When it comes to building the LNG infrastructure quickly and in a sustainable, future-proof way, Niedersachsen’s ports are sending a clear signal.

At the site of the existing facility, the state-owned port company Niedersachsen Ports (NPorts) will construct a platform, as well as dolphins and pile moorings with rubbing paunches for the berth. In addition, we will create the necessary water depths at the berth's seabed and in the approach area through dredging. These construction measures will cost some 40 million Euros, plus an additional five million Euros for the planning.
Construction of the superstructure (cargo handling facilities, pipes, etc.) will be undertaken by the company Uniper SE, and the connection to the gas pipeline network and to the caverns will be facilitated through Open Grid Europe GmbH (OGE).

Holger Banik, Managing Director of Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG and JadeWeserPort Realisierungs GmbH & Co. KG is enthusiastic about the expedited start of construction: “Wilhelmshaven is the ideal site to build alternatives for Germany’s energy supply in the short run. This will also be quite instrumental in helping this location realize its goal of becoming a hub for sustainable energy production.”

This project is under an extremely tight time line. Niedersachsen Ports submitted the documents for the planning approval process for the construction and operation of the facility on 4/25/2022. On May 1, 2022, Niedersachsen’s Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defense, and Nature Conservation (NLWKN) had given their green light for the early start of construction.

 “Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. We were glad to welcome the challenge” Folker Kielgast, NPort’s Technical Director explains. “Together with all of our partners, we have consolidated the knowhow of the port construction experts. At the same time, we feverishly worked on the application documents, the planning, and the construction management” Kielgast continues. Both NPorts chief executives agree, that the collaboration with all authorities involved is very constructive and reflects the urgency of the situation.

 

Background

The cargo handling facility Vosslapper Groden (UVG) in Wilhelmshaven is a deep-water jetty for the handling of chemical products. The facility was constructed between 1979 and 1980. The jetty is some 2.1 kilometers (1.3 miles) long and consists of a transport bridge with a length of 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles), located between the seawall and the jetty junction, as well as an 800 meter-long jetty bridge (0.5 miles). The construction rests on steel poles (piles) and consists of pre-cast pre-stressed steel and concrete parts with a breadth spanning up to 35 meters (~135 ft). The existing facility has been undergoing section-by-section restoration, spearheaded by Niedersachsen Ports since 2020.

In order to create the waterside infrastructure, chiefly the following measures need to be taken:

1. Construction of a jetty head, consisting of
   • several mooring pilings and dolphins with rubbing paunches,
   • a cargo handling platform, gangways incl. supports,
   • other jetty elements (railings, vertical ladders, rubbing paunches, mooring hooks, etc.).
2. Dredging of an approach area with a size of some 70 hectares (173 acres), situated between the existing navigable fairway and the new jetty head, with a depth of ca. -15,5 m median port water level (-13,0 m LAT/Sea Chart Level Zero).

Due to the war in Ukraine and in view of pursuing a climate-friendly energy supply, Germany would like to become independent from Russian gas deliveries as quickly as possible. The creation of FSRUs (Floating Storage and Regasification Units), i.e., Floating import terminals for liquefied gas (LNG) offers a fast alternative solution for a new green infrastructure. 

Another site in Niedersachsen for a liquefied gas terminal is the Port of Stade-Bützfleth. There, in mid-April, the application for approval for the expansion of the existing port was submitted. Subject of the planning documents is a ships’ berth with an overall length of some 660 meters to accommodate gas tanker vessels south of the existing port on the River Elbe, plus the expansion of the Südhafen (South Port) by another two berths.