German LNG Terminal GmbH has received the decision from the German regulatory authority, Bundesnetzagentur, granting it exemption from network access and tariff regulation. However, the decision is subject to review by the European Commission.
According to the request it applies to the annual throughput capacity of 8 billion cubic metres of gas on a long-term basis from the date of the terminal’s commercial launch.

Rolf Brouwer, Managing Director of German LNG Terminal GmbH states: “In principle, the decision offers our customers a stable regulatory regime. It represents another important step forward and therefore also another crucial element on the way to obtaining the final investment decision. Nevertheless, the decision document is very extensive and we will now examine it in detail.”

German LNG Terminal submitted the application for exemption from tariff regulation under section 28a of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG) back in July 2018. Such an exemption is possible for LNG facilities inter alia if the investment improves competition in gas supply and security of supply. German LNG Terminal received the draft exemption decision in October 2020. The Joint Venture is planning to build and operate a liquefied natural gas terminal at the Brunsbüttel location.

German LNG and the shareholding companies - Wealth of experience

German LNG Terminal GmbH is a joint venture between Dutch companies Gasunie LNG Holding B.V. and Vopak LNG Holding B.V. as well as Oiltanking GmbH, a subsidiary of Marquard & Bahls AG, based in Hamburg, Germany. The aim of the joint venture is to build and operate a multifunctional import and distribution terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Brunsb¸ttel. The terminal will also provide a wide range of services including the loading and unloading of LNG carriers, the temporary storage of LNG, regasification, feeding natural gas into the German natural gas network, and distribution of LNG via tank trucks and LNG railcars.

German LNG Terminal opted for the location at Brunsbüttel because of its proximity to the port of Hamburg and the many manufacturing companies based in the region. The Kiel Canal, which runs close to the planned terminal, provides easy access to the Scandinavian and Baltic countries.

About German LNG Terminal

German LNG Terminal GmbH is a joint venture of the Dutch companies Gasunie LNG Holding B.V., Vopak LNG Holding B.V. and Oiltanking GmbH, a subsidiary of Marquard & Bahls AG, Hamburg. The purpose of the joint venture is the construction and operation of a multifunctional import and distribution terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Brunsbüttel. The project is already attracting sustained interest. German LNG Terminal has already concluded a number of Head of agreements.

The terminal will provide a range of services: loading and unloading of LNG carriers, temporary storage of LNG, regasification, injection into the German natural gas grid and distribution by tanker trucks and LNG railcar.

About Oiltanking

Oiltanking GmbH is a subsidiary of Marquard & Bahls, a Hamburg-based company that operates in the fields of energy supply, trading and logistics. Oiltanking is one of the largest independent tank storage providers for petroleum products, chemicals and gases worldwide. The company owns and operates 76 terminals in 25 countries within Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, India, and the Asia-Pacific region. Oiltanking has an overall storage capacity of 20 million cbm.