Berlin, 27 March 2025. The Federal Administrative Court's has just handed down its first decision on a landside LNG termi‑nal along with a comprehensive environmental impact assessment: In a ruling announced today, the Federal Administrative Court has held in the first and final instance that the immission control permit for the establishment and operation of the first landside LNG terminal in Stade is lawful. Serving in the legal proceedings as counsel for the project developer of the terminal, Hanseatic Energy Hub GmbH, were the Redeker lawyers Prof Dr Olaf Reidt and Dr Alexandra Kürschner.
The LNG terminal at Stade Industrial Park (a project based on the German LNG Acceleration Act), which was approved by the Lüneburg State Trade Supervisory Authority on 1 November 2023, is a facility intended for the storage and regasification of liquefied natural gas with an investment volume totalling around EUR 1 billion. With this project, Hanseatic Energy Hub GmbH is making a signifi‑cant contribution to securing the national energy supply over the long term. The planning and realisa‑tion are to be ammonia‑ready, so that it can support the market ramp‑up of hydrogen.
The Federal Administrative Court dismissed the action brought against the project by an environmen‑tal organisation in its entirety. In particular, the LNG‑based terminal operation authorised until the end of 2043 was deemed by the High Court to be in line with the climate protection requirements laid down in the German Basic Law (the German Constitution) as well as the German Federal Climate Protection Act. In the opinion of the Court, Hanseatic Energy Hub GmbH adequately demonstrated that the facility can be converted for later operation with liquefied ammonia (“Green Gas Ready”). Requirements under law governing hazardous incidents and nature conservation law were also com‑plied with in the view of the Court.
