Today, the Höegh Esperanza vessel, a so-called Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), arrives in Wilhelmshaven at its new home for the coming years. The arrival of the FSRU marks an important milestone shortly before the opening of Germany's first LNG terminal on 17 December 2022.
The FSRU was previously loaded with around 165,000m³ of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Spain - enough to supply around 50-80,000 German households for a year. In future, Höegh Esperanza will no longer bring the LNG to Wilhelmshaven itself. Its task is to regasify delivered LNG and to feed at least five bcm of natural gas into the German gas grid each year. That is around six percent of Germany's gas demand, and would thus replace around eleven percent of Germany's gas imports from Russia.
Holger Kreetz, COO Asset Management Uniper: “There is still a lot to do before the first gas can flow in a few days. Nevertheless, after ten months of intensive work, it is a great moment to see the Höegh Esperanza dock here. The entire Uniper team and everyone else involved have every reason to be proud of what has been achieved. Only the good, determined cooperation between the companies, authorities and politicians has made this speed, which we should use as a blueprint for the energy transition, possible. ”
Peter Abdo, CCO LNG & Global Origination: "This is an absolute team success for everyone involved. It is a great feeling to finally see the arrival of the first FSRU in Wilhelmshaven after ten months of hard work. We are now looking forward to delivering the first regular LNG cargo in early January. This is the next step in actively supporting the German government and security of supply for Germany."
About Uniper
Düsseldorf-based Uniper is an international energy company with activities in more than 40 countries. With around 7,000 employees, it makes an important contribution to security of supply in Europe. Uniper’s core businesses are power generation in Europe, global energy trading, and a broad gas portfolio. Uniper procures gas – including liquefied natural gas (LNG) – and other energy sources on global markets. The company owns and operates gas storage facilities with a capacity of more than 7 billion cubic meters. Uniper plans for its 22.5 GW of installed power-generating capacity in Europe to be carbon-neutral by 2035. The company already ranks among Europe’s largest operators of hydroelectric plants and intends to further expand solar and wind energy, which are essential for a more sustainable and autonomous future.
Uniper is a reliable partner for communities, municipal utilities, and industrial enterprises for planning and implementing innovative, lower-carbon solutions on their decarbonization journey. Uniper is a hydrogen pioneer, is active worldwide along the entire hydrogen value chain, and is conducting projects to make hydrogen a mainstay of the energy supply.
About Höegh LNG
Höegh LNG operates world-wide with a leading position as owner and operator of floating LNG import terminals; floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs), and is one of the most experienced operators of LNG Carriers (LNGCs). Höegh LNG's vision is to be the industry leader of floating LNG solutions. Its strategy is to develop the business through an extended service offering, with large-scale FSRUs as the main product, and focus on establishing long-term contracts with attractive risk-adjusted returns involving credible counterparts. The company is publicly listed on the Oslo stock exchange under the ticker HLNG, and owns approximately 46% of Höegh LNG Partners LP (NYSE:HMLP). Höegh LNG is a Bermuda based company with established presence in Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, the UK, USA, South Korea, Indonesia, Lithuania, Egypt, Colombia and Turkey. The company employs approximately 155 office staff and 525 seafarers.