The terminal was built in ten months, a record speed, while the country is still struggling to adapt to life without Russian gas.
– This shows that our country is capable of restarting and at full speed, said Scholz during the opening ceremony.
Among the 400 guests at the inauguration were several other high-level ministers and politicians.
Scholz opened the terminal from the Helgoland excursion ship, which usually transports tourists.
The special vessel Höegh Esperanza, registered in Norway, forms an important part of the terminal. It will transform liquefied natural gas into gas that can be fed into the German gas grid.
The vessel is now loaded with natural gas from Nigeria that can power 50,000 homes over the course of a year. The Wilhelmshaven terminal will start with deliveries as early as 22 December.
Germany plans to open four more state-funded LNG terminals in the coming months. In addition, a private terminal will be opened in Lubmin.
Together, the terminals can supply 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually from next year, given that Germany can get hold of enough LNG. In that case, it will correspond to one third of the country’s total gas needs.
