German utility company RWE signs Europe gas deal with UAE firm ADNOC

German utility company RWE has signed a deal with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe's largest economy by the end of December, RWE announced on Sunday.

Though the amount to be delivered is relatively small, it's a politically significant deal to shore up supplies of gas outside of Russia as Chancellor Olaf Scholz seeks to deepen ties with the Gulf and find alternative sources of energy.

The announcements came on the second day of a two-day trip to the Gulf region by Scholz.

"We need to make sure that the production of LNG in the world is advanced to the point where the high demand that exists can be met without having to resort to the production capacity that exists in Russia," Scholz told journalists before the deal was announced.

The cargo to be delivered this year by ADNOC will be for 137,000 cubic metres of LNG and will be the first LNG to be supplied to the German gas market via the floating LNG import terminal at Brunsbüttel near Hamburg, RWE said.

ADNOC further reserved an unspecified number of LNG cargoes for Germany in 2023.

Germany's two new planned floating LNG terminals will eventually be able to receive up to 12.5 billion cubic meters of LNG a year, equivalent to about 13 percent of the country's gas consumption in 2021, according to data from research firm Enerdata.

"This marks an important milestone in building up an LNG supply infrastructure in Germany and setting up a more diversified gas supply," RWE said in a statement.

German officials hope an array of deals, like the one struck with Abu Dhabi for LNG, will help take the edge off skyrocketing energy prices.

In addition to supplying RWE, ADNOC has also agreed to sell ammonia to German companies, including Steag and Aurubis.

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It will also provide 250,000 tonnes of diesel a month to German firm Hoyer.

Earlier on Sunday, the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, signed an agreement with Scholz that covers accelerating energy security and industrial growth.

Separately, the UAE renewable energy company Masdar will explore offshore wind energy development off the German coast.

Scholz travelled to Qatar after his meetings in Abu Dhabi.

On Saturday, he held talks in Jeddah with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

(Reuters)