Installation jobs for Germany’s Wilhelmshaven 2 LNG terminal go to Norwegian and French firms

Deutsche Energy Terminal (DET), Germany’s state-owned operator of four terminals, is moving forward with its second liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Wilhelmshaven. To this end, Norway’s technology company ECOnnect Energy has been hired to install a jettyless ready IQuay solution for LNG import to Wilhelmshaven. Thanks to this, the Norwegian player has tapped France’s marine contractor GEOCEAN for subsea installation work.

In the aftermath of the energy crisis, spurred by the Ukraine crisis in 2022, energy became the king on the global scene. In response to a potential gas crunch, Germany took steps to bolster energy security by 2025 with its LNG Acceleration Law in May 2022.

Afterward, the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection picked Tree Energy Solution (TES) and ENGIE in early September 2022 to develop and implement a second LNG floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) in Wilhelmshaven to address energy security needs in the country and Europe.

The Wilhelmshaven 2 LNG terminal is on the list of priority projects supported by the LNG Acceleration Law, as it is said to be strategically positioned to import a relevant amount of Germany’s natural gas demand and play an important role in future decarbonization efforts from 2025.

FSRU Wilhelmshaven, a joint venture between TES and ENGIE, has inked a contract for installation works with ECOnnect Energy, following the execution of the supply contract, signed in 2022, for which the Norwegian firm is currently in the final phase of delivering the jettyless ready IQuay solution for the new offshore jetty at Wilhelmshaven.  

‍While welcoming the contract award, Morten Christophersen, CEO at ECOnnect Energy, said: “We are excited to take on the second phase of the Wilhelmshaven project to include the installation scope and build upon the momentum of the system delivery.”

Furthermore, ECOnnect’s delivery will enable the transfer between the FSRU Excelsior, owned by the U.S.-based Excelerate Energy, and shore. With an LNG capacity of 138.000 cbm, the FSRU is expected to be moored at DET’s new island jetty in Jade Bay during the second half of 2024. After vaporization, natural gas will be sent to shore via the Norwegian firm’s IQuay F-Class System and fed into the Open Grid Europe (OGE) gas grid.  

The company has selected GEOCEAN to carry out the fast-track installation project, which is seen as a way to enhance Germany’s energy infrastructure and security. Thanks to this, the French firm will be in charge of the on-site subsea installation of 6 x 1,600m long thermo composite pipes (TCP) flowlines, two pipeline end manifold (PLEMs), associated risers, one power and one 1,800 m fiber optic cable with its FAST-FLEX barge solution to streamline installation operations.

These deals come only weeks after KN Energies was picked to carry out the preparatory work for the technical operation of the Wilhelmshaven 2 LNG terminal by setting up an operational company in Germany, an engineering team, and preparing the terminal’s technical operating documentation.

After commercial operations start, the Lithuania-based firm will handle the technical operations and maintenance of the terminal’s infrastructure – the jetty, which Van Oord was responsible for constructing, its equipment, and the pipeline, organizing the work of the on-site team, as well as the coordination of preventive and corrective actions.

The Wilhelmshaven 2 LNG terminal is slated to kick off commercial operations in the second half of 2024. DET operates four LNG terminals on the German North Sea coast, including Wilhelmshaven 1, Brunsbüttel, Wilhelmshaven 2, and Stade, both currently under construction.

The country’s first floating terminal for importing LNG in Wilhelmshaven was officially commissioned for service in December 2022. Fairplay Towage Group was chosen as the towage provider for the floating LNG terminals in Brunsbüttel, Stade, and Wilhelmshaven.