RWE keeps German LNG door open

Utility still sees at least a short-term need for gas even as Vopak steps back from proposed import terminal

German utility RWE has set itself a new target of 50GW of low-carbon generation capacity by 2030. But it still sees a role for gas-fired power and for LNG in the coming years. And that could be good news for the proposed 5mn t/yr German LNG import terminal, in which RWE has signed up to take a “significant part of the capacity”. The project was buffeted at the end of last week by one of its three shareholders, Dutch tank storage heavyweight Vopak, taking a step back from the project. “With the simultaneous exit from coal and nuclear energy, the need for additional capacity is particularly high,” says RWE CEO Markus Krebber. “Studies show that power plants with a total capacity of 20-40GW wil