Lubmin FSRU
| Part of the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
Lubmin FSRU, also known as German Baltic Sea and Deutsche Ostsee LNG Import Terminal, is an LNG import terminal in Germany with units that are proposed and retired.
Location
Table 1: Location details
| Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen import terminal | Port of Lubmin, Germany[1][2] | 54.153332, 13.645319 (approximate) |
| LNG import terminal | Port of Lubmin, Germany[1][2] | 54.153332, 13.645319 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the terminal:
Project Details
Table 2: Infrastructure details
| Name | Facility type | Status | Capacity | Total terminal capacity | Offshore | Associated infrastructure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen import terminal | import[1] | proposed[1] | – | N/A (multiple facility types) | True | Mukran FSRU[3] |
| LNG import terminal | import[2] | retired[4] | 3.82 mtpa | – | True | Mukran FSRU[3] |
Table 3: Cost
| Name | Facility type | Cost | Total known terminal costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen import terminal | import[1] | – | US$1,090,000,000 |
| LNG import terminal | import[2] | US$1,090,000,000 (1,000,000,000 EUR) | US$1,090,000,000 |
Table 4: Financing
| Name | Facility type | Financing |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen import terminal | import[1] | In May 2025, it was announced that Deutsche ReGas would receive 112 million euros in grants from the European Union for the hydrogen hub in Lubmin. |
| LNG import terminal | import[2] | – |
Table 5: Project timeline
| Name | Facility type | Status | Proposal year | FID year | Construction year | Operating year | Inactive year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen import terminal | import[1] | proposed[1] | 2024[1] | – | – | –[1][1] | – |
| LNG import terminal | import[2] | retired[4] | 2022[5] | – | 2022[6] | 2023[2][2][2][7] | 2024 (retired)[4] |
Ownership
Table 6: Ownership
| Name | Facility type | Status | Owners | Parent companies | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen import terminal | import[1] | proposed[1] | Deutsche ReGas [100%][1] | Deutsche ReGas [100.0%] | – |
| LNG import terminal | import[2] | retired[4] | Deutsche ReGas [100%][2] | Deutsche ReGas [100.0%] | Deutsche ReGas[3] |
Table 7: Vessel ownership
| Name | Facility type | Status | Vessel | Vessel owners | Vessel operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen import terminal | import[1] | proposed[1] | Neptune[8] | – | Höegh Evi[1] |
| LNG import terminal | import[2] | retired[4] | Neptune[8] | TotalEnergies; Höegh Evi[2][9][2][9] | Höegh Evi[3] |
Background
Lubmin FSRU was an interim LNG terminal that operated from January 2023 until its floating storage regasification unit (FSRU), the Neptune FSRU, departed in May 2024 to begin serving the Mukran FSRU project. There are now plans to develop a hydrogen import terminal at the site.
Deutsche Regas, founded in April 2022 to develop the terminal[10], is working with TotalEnergies to develop a floating LNG terminal at the German port of Lubmin. TotalEnergies is expected to provide the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).[11]
Part of a wave of new German floating LNG terminals announced in spring 2022 as part of emergency national plans to diversify away from Russian gas imports, the terminal is the first and so far only privately financed FSRU. Due to the shallow depth of the Greifswalder Bodden in front of Lubmin, a tanker (Floating Storage Unit - FSU) will be stationed outside the Greifswalder Bodden in the Baltic Sea, to which LNG tankers will dock and transfer their LNG. From there, three shuttle ships will transport the LNG to the FSRU for regasification in the Lubmin industrial port. Then the gas will be fed from the FSRU into Germany's long-distance gas pipeline network which is 450 meters away.[12]
In September 2022, construction at the project site began, with Deutsche Regas aiming to commence operations by December 1, 2022. There are also plans to expand the terminal to have a total of 15 bcm/y capacity once two additional FSRUs are in place. Hydrogen importing is also foreseen at the terminal in the future.[13] It was also announced that the Australian infrastructure investor Macquarie Capital had taken a minority stake in Deutsche Regas, and that its subsidiary Wavecrest Energy, which specialises in LNG projects, is to provide technical and operational support for the project.[14] The Deutsche Regas website states that "Around 100 million euros are already available for the project."[12]
According to the Deutsche Regas website, as of November 2022, Phase 1 of the project from December 1, 2022 will see capacity of at least 4.5 bcm coming online. Phase 2, starting in December 2023, plans to see the installation of another FSRU with capacity of 7 bcm. Further, by relocating the first FSRU from the port of Lubmin to an offshore location in 2024, its capacity will be increased by a further 2 bcm (Phase 1.5). These subsequent phases refer to the Mukran FSRU project. Overall, from the fourth quarter of 2024, the project's planned capacity will total 13.5 bcm.[15]
In November 2022, TotalEnergies' Neptune FSRU arrived at the port of Mukran, where it was prepared for the final transfer to Lubmin, whose industrial port is restricted in size and depth.[16] The vessel was moved into position at the Lubmin terminal site on December 16, 2022.[17][18]
In December 2022, the floating storage unit (FSU) Seapeak Hispania arrived at the site. According to LNG Prime, "In the future, this vessel will take liquefied natural gas from LNG carriers and store it while smaller carriers will take take the fuel from the FSU and deliver it to the FSRU in Lubmin due to draft restrictions in the area."[19]
On 14 January 2023, an inauguration ceremony was held for the Neptune FSRU Phase 1.[20]
In May 2023, Deutsche ReGas said that it would move the FSRU Neptune to its Mukran FSRU facility later that year, with economic and ecological advantages in the new site. Local residents in Lubmin have complained about the noise generated by the FSRU.[21]
According to the 2023 GIIGNL report released in July, the capacity of the terminal is 3.8 mtpa or 5.2 bcm/y (nominal capacity) or 5.7 mtpa or 7.8 bcm/y (peak capacity).[22] Earlier plans posted on Deutsche Regas's site in December 2022 suggested the capacity would have been 4.5 bcm/y.[15]
In September 2023, Deutsche ReGas announced that it had begun a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study for a large-scale electrolysis plant that will produce green hydrogen. The project is expected to launch in 2026.[23]
In May 2024, the Neptune FSRU left Lubmin to being service at Mukran FSRU, and current plans are to develop a hydrogen import terminal at the Lubmin site. As such, the project is now considered to be retired.[24]
Hydrogen Import Terminal
In July 2024, Deutsche ReGas and Hoegh LNG signed a deal to develop a floating hydrogen import terminal at the project site, with a start date of 2026. According to Deutsche ReGas, "The terminal will be the world’s first floating green ammonia cracker, producing around 30,000 tons of hydrogen per year that will be fed into the hydrogen core network via the existing feed-in point at the Deutsche ReGas terminal in the port of Lubmin."[25]
In May 2025, it was announced that Deutsche ReGas would receive 112 million euros in grants from the European Union for the hydrogen hub in Lubmin.[26]
Opposition
In August 2023, the German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) said that it had filed a lawsuit against Deutsche Regas arguing that it causes noise pollution and is too small to be exempted from environmental permits. "Neither the shuttle traffic (used to access the Neptune), nor the resulting environmental impact on the sensitive Greifswalder Bodden have been subject to environmental permits," DUH said in a statement.[27][28]
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of LNG terminals, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 https://lngprime.com/europe/deutsche-regas-hoegh-lng-join-forces-on-lubmin-hydrogen-terminal/115941/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 https://lngprime.com/corporate/totalenergies-inks-deal-to-provide-fsru-to-german-lng-import-terminal-developer/57061/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 (PDF) https://giignl.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GIIGNL-2024-Annual-Report-1.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 https://lngprime.com/lng-terminals/deutsche-regas-fsru-leaves-lubmin-to-start-mukran-job/111372/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/natural-gas/071522-frances-totalenergies-eyes-fsru-deployment-at-german-port-of-lubmin.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.offshore-energy.biz/construction-of-lng-terminal-starts-at-lubmin-port-in-germany/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://lngprime.com/europe/deutsche-regas-launches-germanys-second-lng-import-terminal/70830/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/floating-lng-terminal-arrives-german-port-93844232?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://lngprime.com/europe/deutsche-regas-says-second-fsru-arrives-in-mukran/116294/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "| S&P Global Commodity Insights". Retrieved 2023-02-12.
- ↑ LNG Prime Staff (2022-07-13). "TotalEnergies inks deal to provide FSRU to German LNG import terminal developer". LNG Prime. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 FAQ, Deutsche Regas website, accessed Sep. 26, 2022
- ↑ Ajsa Habibic, Construction of LNG terminal starts at Lubmin port in Germany, Offshore Energy, Sep. 21, 2022
- ↑ Mareike Teuffer, Macquarie Capital invests in Lubmin LNG terminal, energate, Sep. 26, 2022
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Deutsche Regas website, accessed Nov. 25, 2022
- ↑ "First floating LNG terminal arrives at German port". Irish Examiner. Associated Press. 2022-11-23. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ FSRU Arrives in Germany's Port of Lubmin to Start LNG Imports, The Maritime Executive, 16 Dec. 2022.
- ↑ Lubmin LNG terminal receives FSRU as operator expects start-up by the end of month, Offshore Energy, 19 Dec. 2022.
- ↑ LNG Prime Staff (2022-12-21). "Deutsche ReGas says Lubmin FSU arrives in Germany". LNG Prime. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ↑ LNG Prime Staff (2023-01-14). "Deutsche ReGas launches Germany's second LNG import terminal". LNG Prime. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
- ↑ "Germany to Move Disputed LNG Vessel to Baltic Island Ruegen". Rigzone. Bloomberg. 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ GIIGNL. The LNG Industry: GIIGNL Annual Report 2023. July 14, 2023.
- ↑ LNG Prime Staff (2023-09-26). "Deutsche ReGas moves forward with hydrogen plans". LNG Prime. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
- ↑ Staff, LNG Prime (2024-05-06). "Deutsche ReGas: FSRU leaves Lubmin to start Mukran job". LNG Prime. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
- ↑ Staff, LNG Prime (2024-07-01). "Deutsche ReGas, Hoegh LNG join forces on Lubmin hydrogen terminal". LNG Prime. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ↑ Staff, LNG Prime (2025-05-22). "Deutsche ReGas secures EU funding for Lubmin hydrogen hub". LNG Prime. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ↑ Deutsche Umwelthilfe klagt gegen LNG-Terminalschiff "Neptune" in Lubmin an der Ostsee, Deutsche Umwelthilfe press release, 7 Aug. 2023.
- ↑ Klage gegen LNG-Terminal in Lubmin, taz, 7 Aug. 2023.
