ECOnnect Energy has signed a contract with Tree Energy Solutions (TES) to deliver IQuay infrastructure for gas import to Wilhelmshaven port in twelve months in a bid to bolster Germany’s energy security .
The contract follows the earlier announcement that the TES Wilhelmshaven gas import terminal was included in the list of priority projects backed by Germany’s LNG Acceleration law .
To remind, the law was passed in May this year and aims to bolster the country’s energy security by 2025.
Taking another step 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 (FSRU) in the autumn of 2023.
Now, the delivery of IQuay from ECOnnect Energy under the new contract will be the critical link between offshore gas storage units to the onshore terminal directly connected to the Open Grid Europe (OGE) gas grid.
The low-footprint design of the IQuay solution will substitute a conventional jetty, fast-tracking deployment while minimising construction costs and environmental impacts, ECOnnect explains.
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’ approach aims to transform sun and wind into sustainable and cost-effective eNG, combining green hydrogen and circular CO2 and using existing infrastructure to deliver green, secure energy to Europe.
In a circular, closed-loop, zero-carbon system, the CO2 acts 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.
TES intends to reuse the IQuay system for liquid CO2 export for hydrogen production , offering 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 of 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, added: “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.”
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