Wilhelmshaven, April 28, 2025: Germany's energy security through the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is gaining another anchor of stability: On April 28, the FSRU Excelsior reached its purpose-built island jetty in the Jade Stream near Wilhelmshaven. The 277-meter-long Floating Storage and Regasification Unit owned by the shipping company Excelerate Energy will be operated by the federally owned Deutsche Energy Terminal GmbH (DET). In the coming weeks, the floating regasification vessel will be connected to the long-distance gas grid and prepared for commissioning under strict safety requirements.

Dr. Peter Röttgen, Managing Director of DET, commented on the event: "The arrival of the Excelsior is another milestone towards the completion of the Wilhelmshaven02 terminal, as well as security of supply and stabilization of gas prices in Germany and Europe. This winter, we saw how quickly German natural gas storage facilities are depleting. The discontinuation of pipeline-based gas deliveries via Ukraine at the turn of the year put our European neighbors under pressure. Past experience has shown us: As long as renewables do not yet fully cover our energy needs, a reliable natural gas supply remains crucial. In order to reliably fill the storage facilities for next winter and keep natural gas prices as low as possible for industry, commerce, and, last but not least, households, we need the capacity of LNG terminals to strengthen the resilience of our energy supply – especially in crisis situations. We would like to thank all partners involved for making another important step towards this joint success possible."

Wilhelmshaven02 is DET's second terminal in Wilhelmshaven and, together with Brunsbüttel, DET's third terminal. The FSRU Excelsior has a storage capacity of 138,000 cubic meters of LNG. In 2025, the regasification ship will feed up to 1.9 billion cubic meters of natural gas into the German gas grid. This corresponds to the natural gas consumption for heating 1.5 million four-person households in apartment buildings. In each of the two subsequent years, the regasification and grid feed-in capacity of the Excelsior will then reach up to 4.6 billion cubic meters, which is equivalent to the heating energy required by up to 3.7 million four-person households. The ship, built in 2005 by the shipping company Excelerate Energy, will be connected to the German natural gas grid via the second Wilhelmshaven connection pipeline (WAL II) of Open Grid Europe (OGE). The unique island jetty prepared on behalf of DET by Engie and Tree Energy Solutions (TES) was also the focus of the event. Founded in the seabed of the Jade Stream, the steel structure has no physical connection to the dyke 1.5 kilometers away, is connected to the onshore transfer station underwater via various pipelines and is unparalleled in Germany in terms of engineering technology.

Further details can be found on our homepage www.energy-terminal.de/en/home/arrival-excelsior

About the DET

On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), Deutsche Energy Terminal GmbH (DET) and its local partners market and operate the state-initiated floating regasification terminals (FSRU) with access to the North Sea, through which liquefied natural gas (LNG) is converted back into a gaseous state and fed into the German gas grid. DET is responsible for the four terminals in Brunsbüttel, Stade and two in Wilhelmshaven.