Germany to build LNG plant in 'gesture' to US drive to sell more

Germany will choose where to build its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal by the end of 2018 as a gesture to the United States, which wants to ship more gas to Europe, economy minister Peter Altmaier said after a meeting with Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice president and EU energy chief. “This is a gesture to our American friends,” Peter Altmaier said of plans to decide on one of three competing sites for the LNG terminal. “I have been sceptical in the past, but we have agreed to move on.” According to the minister, a decision on an LNG terminal is “not directly related” to the contentious Russian-German Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. The discussion about a possible LNG terminal in Germany received a new push when US President Donald Trump said the country relies too much on Russian energy resources and is “totally controlled” by the fossil fuel exporting giant.
Trump pushed US LNG exports as crucial to increasing European energy security during talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda while continuing his attacks on Nord Stream 2, reports S&P Global Platts in a separate article.

Find a Reuters article on the topic in English here, the S&P article in English here, and find a video of the press conference in English here.

Find background in the CLEW factsheet Gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 links Germany to Russia, but splits Europe and the dossier The role of gas in Germany's energy transition.