The federal cabinet has decided to include the port of Mukran on Rügen as a location for a planned liquefied natural gas terminal in the so-called LNG Acceleration Act.
“Since there is still a corresponding need to secure the energy supply, after close exchange with the state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Mukran, a location on the Baltic Sea coast, will be included in the law as a project location,” said the Federal Ministry of Economics. The port is a designated commercial and industrial area, so that the construction measures are “more compatible to implement”.
The inclusion in the law should pave the way for a faster approval process. The specific planning documents would have to be checked by the responsible state authorities, it said. According to current estimates, the Federal Ministry of Economics believes that commissioning in the first quarter of 2024 is possible.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had asked for a postponement
Shortly before, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had asked for the inclusion of Mukran in federal law to be postponed. In a joint statement, State Minister of Economics Reinhard Meyer (SPD) and State Minister for the Environment Till Backhaus (SPD) said on Tuesday evening: “The federal government wants Mukran as a location. For acceptance on site, it is crucial that there is sufficient time for discussions and discussion of the plans with takes away from those involved.”
The planned terminal is controversial. Critics, especially on the island, are concerned about tourism, which is particularly important there, but also about the environment and criticize the creation of overcapacities that they believe are unnecessary.
