Here you can listen to 30 secs edits of field recordings from different locations on the island of Rügen. Starting on the mainland at Lubmin industrial port with an ‘as close as we could get’ perspective of the FSRU (Floating Storage Regasification Unit) currently stationed there. These recordings have captured the ubiquitous low drone that eminates from the regasification vessel Neptune (also known as FSRU) to various locales, up to 61,5km away, on Rügen. (a list of the order of recordings is below)
1. Lubmin Industrial Port, 2. Gut Glowitz, 3. Wreechener See, 4. Klein Kubitz, 5. Großer Jasmunder Bodden, 6. Prora, 7. Kap Arkona
Liquified (un)Natural Gas (L(u)NG)
The 2022 Russian invasion of the Ukraine had an immediate impact on Germany (as well as other EU nations), to rapidly find a means to secure non-Russian energy supplies for the winter of 2022/2023. Gas operators jumped on the opportunity to shift their public messaging and lobbying from “energy tranisition” to “energy security” resulting in government and private investment in the expansion of fossil gas imports and infrastructure. The response to a short-term energy supply crisis has resulted in long-term fossil fuel lock-in the form of new infrastructure to the cost of around 10 billion euros in order for example, to import fracked gas from the U.S. to Germany. Curently 8 liquified gas terminals, like the one currently stationed at Lubmin industrial port, are under consturction and 38 more have been proposed.
Liquefied (un)Natural Gas (L(u)NG) is fossil gas, mostly methane, that has been cooled down to it’s liquid state for ease of transporation and storage. The liquefaction process reduces the volume of fossil gas by a factor of around 600, by keeping it at extremely low temperatures (-162 degrees celsius), and is usually transported over long distances using highly specialised tankers. L(u)NG liquefaction, transportation and regasification require a significant amount of energy, resulting in a higher carbon footprint compared to pipline gas – up to 4 times more in the EU. Considering L(u)NG’s energy and technologically intensive, manifold material transformations we consider it not to be a ‘natural’ gas but rather a branding term used for public messaging and lobbying. We therefore refer to it as Liquified (un)Natural Gas.
UPDATE 29.03.2024
The FSRU (Floating Storage Regasification Unit) “Energos Power” arrived in Mukran on Februry 24th undercover (with switched off AIS-Signal (Automatic Identification System). Since it’s in trial operation. A constant drone of around 215Hz is filling the bay.
listen: https://aporee.org/maps/?loc=63698&m=satellite
