Adnoc delivers Middle East's first LNG shipment to Germany

The cargo shipped from the UAE can power about 250,000 homes for a year

Adnoc delivers the first LNG cargo from the Middle East to Brunsbuttel Port in Germany. Photo: Adnoc

Adnoc and German power company RWE on Wednesday announced the delivery of the first shipment of liquefied natural gas from the UAE to Germany.

A shipment of 137,000 cubic metres of the supercooled fuel was delivered to the Elbehafen floating LNG terminal in Brunsbuttel and is the “first ever LNG cargo to be shipped to Germany from the Middle East”, the Abu Dhabi-based energy company said.

“The global demand for energy is increasing and as we build on the strong economic, energy security and climate action ties between our two nations, Adnoc Gas stands ready to provide further shipments of this key transition fuel to our partner, RWE and German industry,” Ahmed Alebri, acting chief executive of Adnoc Gas, said.

“The cargo delivery marks an important milestone in developing Germany’s domestic LNG supply infrastructure, supporting the country’s energy security with natural gas.

“The cargo is sufficient to produce approximately 900 million kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to supply approximately 250,000 German homes for a year.”

Last year, Adnoc sent its first ever shipment of low-carbon ammonia to Germany.

The UAE and Germany signed an agreement in September aimed at accelerating joint efforts to boost energy security, decarbonisation and combat climate change.

“The development of the LNG supply infrastructure in Germany continues to make rapid progress. I am pleased that we have Adnoc as a strong partner at our side and that we are working together to make Germany's energy supply as secure as possible,” Andree Stracke, chief executive, RWE Supply & Trading, said.

Europe, which is looking to reduce its reliance on Russian gas, has been boosting LNG imports from the US and the Gulf.

In November, QatarEnergy signed two sales and purchase agreements with ConocoPhillips to deliver up to 2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG to Germany.

The EU could fall short by about 27 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas this year if Russian gas deliveries drop to zero and China’s LNG imports rebound to 2021 levels, the International Energy Agency said in a December report.

“Now, more than ever, we need to push for a global energy transition, including the diversification of natural gas resources,” said Stefan Wenzel, parliamentary state secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.

“In the short term, and for the time being, we need more liquefied natural gas to arrive at German terminals like here in Brunsbuttel.

“Internationally, the UAE is a very important partner for Germany, both for LNG cargoes and hydrogen projects.”

The Emirates is bullish on hydrogen and has been drawing up a plan to position itself as an exporter of the clean fuel and tap into its future potential.

Hydrogen, which can be produced using renewable energy and natural gas, is expected to play a key role in the coming years as economies and industries transition to a low-carbon world to mitigate climate change.

French investment bank Natixis estimates that investment in hydrogen will exceed $300 billion by 2030.