ARLINGTON, Va. and DÜSSELDORF, Germany, Jan. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Uniper brought Germany's first full cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the new LNG terminal, operated by Uniper, in Wilhelmshaven. The LNG ship Maria Energy, owned by Tsakos Energy Navigation, a major energy mover, was loaded in Calcasieu Pass, USA, at the liquefaction facility of the LNG supplier Venture Global Calcasieu Pass, LLC, on December 19, 2022.

The Maria Energy is fully loaded with approx. 170,000 cubic meters LNG (97,147,000 cubic meters of natural gas) – enough to supply around 50,000 German households with energy for one year.

Niek den Hollander, Uniper CCO says: "The successful delivery of the first full LNG cargo to the Uniper terminal in Wilhelmshaven is a testament to the strong partnership between Uniper, Venture Global, and Tsakos Energy Navigation. The use of LNG as a reliable energy source is crucial for the Security of Supply for Germany and Europe. We are committed to contribute our part by bringing more LNG to the European market and especially Germany via the Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel Regas Terminals."

"Venture Global is very proud to supply the first full cargo of LNG ever delivered to Germany, and we congratulate Uniper and the German government for their swift action to build the infrastructure needed to make this historic day possible," says Venture Global CEO Mike Sabel. "As strategic partners, we look forward to providing long-term security of energy supply to our allies through the continued delivery of clean and reliable US LNG."

The LNG cargo delivered on board of the Maria Energy forms part of the commissioning process at the Wilhelmshaven terminal. Commercial operations of the Wilhelmshaven terminal are expected to start in mid-January 2023.

The Uniper LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven was opened on December 17, 2022. Via the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) Höegh Esperanza, about five billion cubic meters of natural gas can be landed in Germany per year.

TEN, founded in 1993 and celebrating this year 29 years as a public company, is one of the first and most established public shipping companies in the world. TEN's diversified energy fleet currently consists of 73 double-hull vessels including four dual-fuel LNG powered aframax vessels and two option one shuttle tankers under construction, constituting a mix of crude tankers, product tankers and LNG carriers, totaling 8.5 million dwt.

Venture Global is a long-term, low-cost provider of U.S. LNG sourced from resource rich North American natural gas basins. Venture Global's first facility, Calcasieu Pass, commenced producing LNG in January 2022.  The company is also constructing or developing an additional 60 MTPA of production capacity in Louisiana to provide clean, affordable energy to the world. The company is developing Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) projects at each of its LNG facilities.

Düsseldorf-based Uniper is an international energy company with activities in more than 40 countries. With around 7,000 employees, it makes an important contribution to security of supply in Europe. Uniper's core businesses are power generation in Europe, global energy trading, and a broad gas portfolio. Uniper procures gas – including liquefied natural gas (LNG) – and other energy sources on global markets. The company owns and operates gas storage facilities with a capacity of more than 7 billion cubic meters. Uniper plans for its 22.5 GW of installed power-generating capacity in Europe to be carbon-neutral by 2035. The company already ranks among Europe's largest operators of hydroelectric plants and intends to further expand solar and wind energy, which are essential for a more sustainable and autonomous future. 

Uniper is a reliable partner for communities, municipal utilities, and industrial enterprises for planning and implementing innovative, lower-carbon solutions on their decarbonization journey. Uniper is a hydrogen pioneer, is active worldwide along the entire hydrogen value chain, and is conducting projects to make hydrogen a mainstay of the energy supply. 

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Uniper SE Management and other information currently available to Uniper. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. Uniper SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to modify them to conform with future events or developments.