U.S. LNG Suppliers and German Buyers Will Meet in Berlin to Speed Up Deals

(Bloomberg)

American natural gas exporters and German buyers of the power-plant fuel will meet this week in Berlin to speed up talks on how the U.S. can help the European industrial powerhouse wean itself off Russian supplies, people familiar with the plan said.

The U.S. Embassy in Germany is hosting policy discussions between liquefied gas suppliers and German utilities on March 30 during the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue conference, said the people, asking not to be named because the information isn’t public.

During a second meeting taking place the same day, U.S. LNG executives and their German counterparts plan to discuss commercial agreements in response to Berlin’s call to build more regasification terminals. Sempra Infrastructure LLC, a U.S. LNG developer, and Shell Plc, which has partnered with RWE AG to build a facility in Germany, are expected to attend.

Tellurian Inc., which has proposed an export complex in Louisiana, also plans to attend the talks.

“Of course we are attending and will listen,” Tellurian Chairman Charif Souki said in an interview. “Ultimately, you make these deals one-to-one.”

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U.S. Embassy officials didn’t have an immediate comment. The policy talks also will touch on hydrogen fuel, the people said.

The meetings will occur just days after U.S. President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled plans Friday to boost American gas deliveries to the continent and help wean them bloc off of Russian supplies.

The invasion of Ukraine prompted Germany to halt approval of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that would have increased supplies Russian shipments to power and heat the country’s homes and factories. Germany depends on Russia for roughly 50% of its gas, but the EU has pledged to end dependence on Russian energy, so the country is now rushing to find alternatives.

The developer of a planned German LNG terminal in Brunsbuettel, near Hamburg, is pushing to fast-track the project that has been planned for several years and has faced setbacks and permitting delays.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the German government this month stepped in as a partner for the terminal and the country is now also looking to import more LNG from countries like Qatar.

“They are in a hurry, they are pushing, they want the terminal to be built as soon as possible,” Marcel Tijhuis, senior business developer at German LNG Terminal GmbH, which is developing the project, said at a conference in Vienna this week. “With the entry of the German government, we hope the permitting process will get a really big push.”