Wilhelmshaven – November 02, 2026 -- A study commissioned by Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) concludes that importing synthetic methane (SNG) through the planned LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven would be uneconomic and inefficient, undermining the operator's case for a long-term switch to green gases.
Operator promises SNG-only imports by 2044 at the latest
Deutsche Grüngas Energieversorgungs GmbH (DGGEV) has announced it will import only SNG instead of natural gas by 2044 at the latest. According to the DUH study, SNG produced from green hydrogen combined with a closed CO2 cycle is highly inefficient and therefore too expensive. The study concludes that fossil operation of the terminal is the far more realistic scenario.
DUH calls the plan greenwashing and targets a protected bird area
DUH characterizes the DGGEV plans as a greenwashing attempt to justify a new fossil import terminal. The site, Voslapper Groden-Nord, is an EU bird protection area. The group describes the project as climate-damaging and legally uncertain and demands that the city of Wilhelmshaven reject it definitively and stop plans to build on the site.
DUH Federal Managing Director Sascha Müller-Kraenner said further LNG terminal expansion on the German coast must be halted immediately.
Energy lead sees rising dependence on fossil imports
Constantin Zerger, DUH head of energy and climate protection, accepts that green gases will have a role in the energy transition where electrification is technically impossible or economically unviable. He argues, however, that the DGGEV pledge to import renewable synthetic methane in the distant future serves as a cover story for a fossil terminal. In his view, the project would deepen Germany's dependence on fossil imports from the Gulf region and on the United States under Donald Trump.