One year after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shut down the idea of supplying Germany with liquified natural gas (LNG), one of the country’s largest energy companies is dismantling a wind farm to make room for an open-pit coal mine.
During German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Canada in Aug. 2022, Trudeau said supplying the European nation with LNG lacked a “business case.”
“There are a number of potential projects, including one in Saint John, and some others that are on the books for which there has never been a strong business case because of the distance from the gas fields,” said Trudeau.
This week, Germany’s RWE began operations to dismantle a wind farm in the North Rhine Westphalia region.
The company plans to dismantle at least eight wind turbines so that it can excavate up to 20 million tonnes of highly pollutant lignite coal, also known as ‘brown coal.’
RWE brokered a deal with the German government last year to be allowed to mine the area under the pretense that it would aim to be coal-free by the year 2030.
Germany and other European nationals have struggled to wean off their dependence on Russian oil and gas in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Instead of buying LNG from Canada, Germany has already struck a deal with the US and even built a terminal to receive fresh shipments of gas.
According to the International Energy Agency, the global LNG market doubled in size in 2022 largely due to Europe’s growing need for imports.
Last year, the market reached a whopping $450 billion with the US being among the biggest winners as a result of the growth.
Other countries benefiting from the growth include Qatar, Egypt, Norway, Angola and Trinidad and Tobago.
