At the heart of their movement is this warning: liquefied natural gas (LNG) is not the solution to the energy crisis magnified by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As Russian military aggression in Ukraine reaches the six-month mark, governments and energy industry lobbyists, including Canada, are floating the idea that adding LNG capacity could help offset Europe’s dependence on Russian oil supplies and natural gas. But there is backlash to the idea, with one protester in Hamburg suggesting that investing more in LNG would be “climate suicide”, exacerbating already high levels of carbon in the atmosphere. “There’s generally the idea that Europe needs LNG to stay warm in the winter, and that’s really a lie,” Toni Lux told CBC News from the site of a protest camp set up this week in northwest Hamburg. A few thousand people have camped out at the System Change Camp, a festival-like gathering organized in a park northwest of downtown Hamburg in August 2022. Many are climate activists, calling for less reliance on liquefied natural gas. (Kenny Sharpe/CBC)
“Climate Crime”
Lux is with the German climate activist group Ende Gelände, which along with 40 other groups, joined together to create the System Change Camp. Since Monday, around 6,000 people from all over Europe have taken part in the festival-like atmosphere, tenting, working and sharing ideas at Hamburg’s Altona Volkspark. Many of these ideas have focused on alternatives to expanding LNG reliance, which the German government is considering as a response to the energy crisis sweeping Europe. However, Lux said energy policy must remain steadfast in the transition to renewables, saying more terminals would be a “crime against the climate and people”. Toni Lux is a member of the German activist group Ende Gelände, one of dozens of groups gathered for this week’s protests to find alternative energy solutions. (Kenny Sharpe/CBC) Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, sanctions imposed by Europe and the West have prompted retaliation by the Kremlin for sending energy supplies. Germany, in particular, has been hit hard as it relies heavily on Russian natural gas pumped through the Nord Stream pipeline, which has been reduced to around 20% of its usual supply since July 27. (The Kremlin blamed the reduction on technical issues, saying Western sanctions affected its ability to get turbines from Canada and perform other maintenance work on the pipeline.) Regardless, as energy prices around the world skyrocket, companies and governments — including Canada — are looking at more LNG development as a possible solution. WATCHES | As Russia cuts gas exports, Europe needs to save:
The EU is urging countries to cut natural gas use by 15% by next March
The European Union has proposed a voluntary target for member states to reduce natural gas use by 15% by March in order to prepare for possible further gas cuts from Russia. It said a complete Russian shutdown during an average winter could reduce average EU GDP by up to one percent if countries do not prepare. As Germany’s coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation, Michael Link has previously visited Ottawa promoting the need for more LNG and other trade between his country and Canada. Link said that while he understands it takes years to build infrastructure for LNG terminals, the need is urgent. “I’m not just talking about Germany,” he told CBC News Network’s Power & Politics host Vassy Kapelos. “Italy, the Netherlands, many of us in the European Union are really in dire need of secure democratic energy suppliers. And I think that would be good news for Canada as well… because I see Germany and Canada and the European Union as a whole as ideal partners”.
Could Canada Increase LNG Exports?
In June, Reuters reported that the German government officials, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, are interested in Canada’s LNG export potential, suggesting that Scholz and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met on the sidelines of a G7 summit. At the same time, the news agency reported that federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson spoke with Canadian LNG companies with established infrastructure about whether they could increase exports to meet demand from Europe. European climate activists continue to protest today after thousands of people demonstrated in Hamburg, Germany in a series of escalating protests over a week. pic.twitter.com/WMZpbMwDlU —@kscSharpe In an update to CBC News, Spanish company Repsol said it is exploring ways to increase export capacity at its New Brunswick facility. “The company will consider all businesses that enhance or create value at Saint John LNG, including the possibility of adding liquefaction capabilities to existing facilities,” Repsol spokesman Mike Blaquier said. Other Canadian oil and gas suppliers also say they are keen to expand further into Europe, with Quebec’s GNL saying it could help “Europe diversify its energy sources.” Alberta-based Pieridae Energy has proposed a multibillion-dollar pipeline to carry natural gas from Western Canada to Nova Scotia, where it could then be sent across the Atlantic. Hamburg’s Landungsbrücken district at dusk. Popular with tourists it is next to where this week’s anti-LNG march took place. In the distance are many cranes that form the city’s important export/import port infrastructure. (Kenny Sharpe/CBC) And although Germany is a world leader in reducing energy consumption, it says it needs more liquefied natural gas thanks to the changing geopolitical landscape in Europe, said Pierre-Olivier Pineau, a professor at Montreal’s HEC business school. People need to listen, he said. However, he notes that Canada’s oil and gas sector wants assurances before investing in new infrastructure to boost export capacity. And it is not certain that it will happen. “I have never heard Germany say … ‘We are willing to sign a purchase contract for the next 20 years’ to ensure all financial aspects of the project,” he said.
What would the expansion in Germany look like?
For the expansion of the LNG terminal in Germany, there are proposals for development at multiple sites between now and 2030, mostly in the north of the country in areas that include Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel, according to a Reuters report. On Saturday, police clashed with protesters as they tried to block some bridges and railway lines. A small group of protesters broke through the crowd and managed to block Hamburg’s Kattwyk Bridge, disrupting rail traffic. Blocked the Kattwyk bridge at the power plant in Moorburg💪 The purple finger shared, most of them block the gate of the coal power plant. A small group broke out and disrupted freight traffic 🛑 This blocked one of the port’s last routes pic. twitter. com/bRkrmys8xD —@End__Terrain On Friday, several Ende Gelände activists were reported to have blocked an LNG site near Wilhelmshaven. LNG construction sites in the playground 🧒 We don’t need mineral infrastructure, we need renewable energy and pic.twitter.com/j1BCGXLSyY —@End__Terrain And earlier, a fertilizer facility in Brunsbüttel was the site of another blockade. ▶️the days of action begin◀️ 80 activists block the Yara fertilizer factory in Brunsbüttel. Yara is responsible for 1% of German gas consumption and has massively increased its profits during the crisis. Nothing comes through the factory gates at Yara today. pic.twitter.com/hN1a58Uqkm —@End__Terrain The protests culminated in thousands marching, all calling on the country — and Europe — to find an alternative to LNG to tackle the energy crisis. Charly Dietz, who also took part in the protests, said Hamburg was chosen because of its importance as an important port for trade within and outside Europe. “I think that for Germany, Hamburg will be one of the critical points for the future in terms of the energy transition,” said Dietz. “We really feel that on a larger scale together we can really move forward, push this capitalist system to fail and build society in solidarity to have a good life for everyone.” The German government says Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Canada for a three-day trip starting next Sunday to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Scholz will be joined by Germany’s Minister of Economy and Climate, Robert Habeck, in Montreal and Toronto. They will also visit Stephenville on Newfoundland’s west coast, where a potential new hydrogen deal is expected to be signed.
