The state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is opposed to the federal government’s plans to build a liquefied natural gas terminal on Rügen. State Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) made it clear on Thursday evening that the state lacked binding commitments from the federal government to promote the region. Under these circumstances, the project is rejected.
Despite numerous talks between the federal and state governments, the federal government has not yet responded sufficiently to the state government’s proposals, says Backhaus. “Above all, it is disappointing for us that no perspective as a hydrogen location could be shown.” Western Pomerania State Secretary Heiko Miraß (SPD) also presented this point of view in the evening at a meeting of the municipal council of the Baltic Sea resort of Binz.
On Friday, the Bundestag and Bundesrat want to decide on the inclusion of the planned liquefied natural gas terminal in the port of Mukran in the LNG Acceleration Act. Opponents of the plans see primarily environmental protection and tourism affected.
“In all likelihood, the planned LNG infrastructure on Rügen will be unnecessary to secure the energy supply,” said Jörg-Andreas Krüger, President of the Nabu Nature Conservation Union on Thursday. The infrastructure cements the use of the climate-damaging raw material for decades.
The German Environmental Aid and the economists Christian von Hirschhausen and Claudia Kemfert from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) recently took a similar position. The federal government justifies the need for protection against a gas shortage in the coming winter.
