Norway's Econnect installs floating jetty at German LNG terminal

Norway's Econnect Energy is installing a floating jetty for use at Germany's Wilhelmshaven liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal, its CEO said in an interview.

Norway overtook Russia as Europe's biggest gas supplier in 2022 after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Norwegian firms are also playing a key part in Germany's efforts to build LNG import facilities by leasing out floating units and offering supplies of LNG.

Tree Energy Solution (TES) and France's Engie ENGI, backed by state-owned Deutsche Energy Terminal, picked Econnect's floating platform and submerged pipe system for their floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) at the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven.

Econnect Energy, a small firm with 30 full-time employees, declined to provide financial details regarding the work.

"What got the German authorities and TES interested is that this is a solution that allowed the FSRU to get up and running quickly," Econnect CEO Morten Christophersen told Reuters at the firm's Oslo office.

Econnect's system is quicker to install and has a lower environmental impact than building a 1.7 km-long (1.06 mile) jetty made from concrete and fixing it to the seabed, which would have been the alternative, he said.

"We can use the same pipes for transferring CO2 in the second phase," Christophersen added.

The FSRU, the second to be located at Wilhelmshaven, is expected to start operations in the second half of this year, with Econnect's installation work almost complete. The terminal will be capable of importing enough gas to meet 8.5% of Germany's annual demand.

Wilhelmshaven is the fourth site to use Econnect's system, all for use with natural gas, but Econnect expects to enable infrastructure for cleaner energy as well, its CEO said.

"We also have a very strong focus on green ammonia, hydrogen and carbon capture, where we see the same challenges as for LNG," he said.