TES and ECOnnect Energy to fast-track energy imports to Wilhelmshaven in record time

TES and ECOnnect Energy sign contract to deliver IQuay infrastructure for gas import to Wilhelmshaven port in twelve months in bid to bolster Germany’s energy security

Oslo & Berlin – 15 November 2022 – This contract award follows the announcement that the TES Wilhelmshaven Green Gas Terminal has been included to the list of priority projects backed by Germany’s LNG Acceleration law, which was passed in May of this year and aims to strengthen Germany’s energy security by 2025. Wilhelmshaven is strategically located to secure Germany’s energy imports and will be at the heart of its decarbonisation initiatives beginning in 2025.

To provide immediate energy security for Europe, the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection selected TES in early September to develop and implement Germany’s fifth Floating Storage Regasification Unit in the autumn of 2023.

The delivery from ECOnnect Energy will be the critical link between offshore gas storage units to the onshore terminal directly connected to the Open Grid Europe (OGE) gas grid.

Enabling long-term zero-carbon energy import

Simultaneously from 2025, TES’s onshore green gas terminal will serve as the key entry point for clean, safe, and affordable energy in Europe, as well as a catalyst for a circular carbon economy. TES’s approach aims to transform sun and wind into sustainable and cost-effective eNG, combining green H₂ and circular CO₂ and using existing infrastructure to deliver green, secure energy to Europe.

In a circular, closed-loop, zero-carbon system, the CO₂ act as a carrier to enable green hydrogen imports: when the gas reaches Germany, it will be captured and delivered back to the area where the green hydrogen is produced.

Jettyless gas infrastructure

The ECOnnect Energy IQuay solution will connect the FSRU to the onshore terminal. The low-footprint design of the solution will substitute a conventional jetty, fast-tracking deployment while minimising construction costs and environmental impacts.

In 2025, TES will reuse the IQuay system for liquid CO₂ export for hydrogen production, effectively closing the industrial emissions loop by utilising CO₂ for green hydrogen applications. The reuse of the infrastructure offers further “green” material conservation credentials to Wilhelmshaven.

“The IQuay solution allows for incredibly fast installation and natural gas import into Wilhelmshaven, while also enabling a future hydrogen hub,” said Morten Christophersen, CEO at ECONNECT Energy, “we are proud that our flexible import solution is consistent with TES’s vision to address Germany’s immediate energy demand and also its long-term carbon-neutral energy import strategy.”

Jens Schmidt, Chief Technology Officer at TES, said: “We are delighted to work in close collaboration with ECOnnect Energy to harness the innovative IQuay jettyless technology, a cutting-edge solution which will fast track the implementation of a resilient and renewable energy infrastructure as well as enabling our green hydrogen value chain. This will help pave the way to deliver immediate and long-term energy security for Europe in a timely and cost-effective manner with minimal environmental impact.”