LNG infrastructure development in Germany faces activist protests over environmental impact concerns

With the sharp decline in natural gas supplies from Russia, a number of European countries have revived projects to develop import capacity for liquefied natural gas (LNG). From this perspective, not only the construction of new terminals will be crucial, but also pipelines to connect the terminals to the gas infrastructure. However, these plans may face opposition from local groups, as is the case in northern Germany.

Securing alternative routes for natural gas supplies to Europe to replace Russian gas has become a priority for a number of European countries in recent months, particularly Germany, which has not received any gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for several weeks. In addition to the short-term solution of leasing floating LNG terminals (FSRUs), plans to build conventional import terminals have been revived, although their implementation is more time-consuming.

One such project is the terminal near the German town of Brunsbüttel, where a floating terminal is to be built first and is expected to begin operations around the turn of the year, followed by a conventional onshore terminal by 2026.