Photo: View from Rüstringer Berg to the oil port, coal-fired power plant and the JadeWeserPort
Wilhelmshaven's industrial history is marked by destroyed hopes and broken promises. The fossil industry has left large wounds in and around Wilhelmshaven. And despite the climate crisis, new fossil infrastructure is still being built. I took a look at this together with nature conservationists on site, on the ‘Tour du Gas’ of the Energy Hub Network.
We started at Rüstringer Berg, a small hill on the outskirts of the city, which offers a good view of the oil port, the decommissioned coal-fired power plant of Uniper and the Jade-Weser-Port behind it. There's not much going on here. Up to four tankers can land at the oil port at the same time, no one is there right now. Nearly a quarter of Germany's oil demand ends up here. Oil throughput has already fallen by 20 percent and will continue to fall the less oil heaters, internal combustion engines and diesel ships are in operation.
Old coal, new coal
Next to the oil port is the premises of a former coal-fired power plant of Uniper, where green hydrogen is to be produced in the future. But there's nothing to see about it yet.
Anyone who was pleased that Wilhelmshaven has already shut down its coal-fired power plant: It's too early! Directly opposite the old Meiler, a new power plant, built only in 2015, continues to burn coal and is not to be switched off, but converted to biomass – in view of the ecological damage and the massive carbon dioxide emissions caused by wood combustion, not a good idea and, in view of the expected price increases for woody biomass, also not economically wise. The power plant has suffered losses for years.
Photo: Vynova's plastics factory and next to it the refinery of HES, right on the coast.
Deteriorating industry and nature at risk
On the way to Hooksiel we pass an old chlorine factory, which went out of operation in 2013 and is now slowly decaying. Nearby, the companies Vynova and HES operate a plastics factory and a refinery, both of which are to be expanded. Instead of renovating the old factory grounds, they prefer to use the Voslapper Groden – a valuable nature reserve that offers shelter to rare ground-breeders who otherwise hardly find nesting places. Buildings are already partially decaying on the refinery site, so there would be room here. Compensation areas to compensate for the loss of the nature reserve, on the other hand, no longer exist. Nevertheless, the two companies have not yet deviated from their claim.
Photo: The Voslapper Groden nature reserve © Nabu Wilhelmshaven
Cover energy transition, including: The fossils!
Not far from the chemical plant and refinery is the Landekai for LNG, where the floating terminal Hoegh Esperanza is currently located. The maximum capacity utilisation is 80 percent – already a peak among the German LNG terminals – but two more landing sites are to be expanded. Even if the company TES, which will operate one of the terminals, tries to distract from it with a questionable business model: This is where fossil gas is landed, the extraction of which leads to human rights violations and environmental destruction in the exporting countries – and which massively fuels the climate crisis.
Photo: We show ‘Thumbs down!’ for the LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven. © Zukunftswerkstatt Wilhelmshaven ⁇ Hufenbach
Life over holes: The area around Etzel
Last stop of the tour: The cavern storage at Etzel. Their technical structures shape the landscape. Due to the pressure changes when pumping in and out of the storage tanks, the terrain is slumped away, 70 cm is still the case today. This could be exacerbated by the new hydrogen storage tanks, which are filled and emptied much more frequently, the conservationists fear. Wide loops are also being plowed through the landscape to build new pipelines – after all, the future LNG terminals will also be connected to the storage facilities in Etzel. Soon this will be repeated for the new hydrogen pipes.
Blooming landscapes in Wilhelmshaven? Luckily, there are already, thanks to the commitment of the dedicated conservationists on site, some of whom I was able to get to know this weekend. I would like to thank the Network Energiedrehscheibe and especially Stefanie Eilers from Nabu Wilhelmshaven for the exciting tour and for the energy with which they put their hometown on a climate course!
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