The German Environmental Aid warns of environmental and safety risks from the permanent operation of the LNG terminal on Rügen without a land power plant. The organization has filed objections against operator Deutsche Regas's application with the relevant authority. An environmental impact assessment for the modified operation is still missing.
The LNG terminal in Mukran on Rügen is at the center of a controversy over its power supply. The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has objected to an application by Deutsche Regas at the State Office for Agriculture and Environment (StALU) Vorpommern. The operator seeks a change permit to run the terminal permanently without its own land power plant, instead generating electricity via onboard ship combustion engines.
"With the now planned operating method, there is a threat of an aggravation of the already high burdens on people and the environment on Rügen. This is unacceptable," warned DUH federal managing director Sascha Müller-Kraenner. The DUH demands a comprehensive and transparent procedure as well as an environmental impact assessment, which is still pending.
The Federal Administrative Court (BVerwG) recently ruled that Regas needs an emissions protection change permit for switching to ship engines. The StALU granted the operator an extension until April 30, 2026, to bypass the land power plant provisionally. Originally, the terminal was to be supplied with land power from a combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Mukran harbor starting early 2025.
Deutsche Regas argues that the retrofitted catalysts on the ship engines result in lower pollutant emissions than a land-based CHP plant. All noise limits are also being met. Whether the land power plant will ultimately be built remains uncertain.
