Rügen - Started too early: dispute over construction work for LNG terminal
The ongoing construction work for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal being built in Mukran on the island of Rügen is causing a dispute. Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) has reportedly filed a complaint against the project developer, Deutsche Regas. Drone images published on Wednesday are said to prove that the company built the terminal in the port without the appropriate approval. According to the Schwerin Ministry of the Environment, the company must be prepared to pay a fine. The corresponding permit has now been granted. The "Süddeutsche Zeitung" had previously reported on this.
Meanwhile, the port operator has reportedly filed a complaint against DUH. The drone recordings were not authorized and had taken place illegally both in the port area and in the security area.
In response to the Ministry of the Environment's announcement, a spokesperson for Deutsche Regas said that no fine had yet been imposed. The "material requirements for approval" had already been met at the time of the work. Prefabricated foundations and steel stilts for the connecting pipeline for the floating terminals had been installed. This was reversible work.
The port operator is also currently building in Mukran. This involves deepening the harbor basin and upgrading berths, for example. According to the port operator, this work is independent of the approval process for the LNG terminal. According to the Deutsche Regas spokesperson, land-based construction work in the port is largely covered by the port's existing permits.
In addition, an immission control approval procedure is underway for the operation of the terminal and related work, such as the construction of connecting pipelines. Deutsche Regas is the project sponsor here.
Deutsche Umwelthilfe has voiced clear criticism. "Illegal construction work not only destroys trust on site, it would also call into question the role of Deutsche Regas in the operation of an LNG terminal," said DUH energy expert Constantin Zerger.
The Schwerin Ministry of the Environment explained that when the construction work was discovered on December 12, it was already "approvable". "However, the requested approval for the early start had not yet been granted." This was therefore an administrative offense. The approval for premature measures was handed over on 15 December. This means that the terminal itself has not yet been approved.
The first of two floating LNG terminals is to be stationed in Mukran this winter. The approximately 50-kilometer-long connecting pipeline through the Baltic Sea to the mainland is almost complete.
Critics see the terminal as a threat to the environment and tourism and speak of unnecessary overcapacity. The federal government, on the other hand, considers it necessary in terms of energy supply security.
In January, the town council of Sassnitz plans to discuss a citizens' petition against the terminal. The extraordinary meeting of the town council is scheduled for January 11, according to a spokesperson for the town. "This is where the city council will vote on the admissibility of the citizens' petition."
Accordingly, the opinion of the district's lower legal supervisory authority has been available since Monday. It did not provide any information on the content of the available assessments. The relevant documents will be sent out via the council information system at the beginning of next year and will then be publicly accessible to everyone.
Most recently, there had been criticism of the lengthy legal examination of the request from the state ombudsman, among others.
On September 5, the main initiator had already submitted more than 1,000 signatures in favor of holding a referendum. The aim of the decision is to ensure that Fährhafen Sassnitz GmbH does not enter into any transactions aimed at the construction and operation of LNG infrastructure on the company premises. Contracts that have already been concluded, for example for the transfer of land, are to be terminated. The port is 90 percent owned by the town of Sassnitz.
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Source: www.stern.de
