Months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there has "never been a strong business case" for natural gas exports from Canada to Europe, Germany built and linked up its first floating gas terminal to replace lost Russian oil shipments..At the LNG terminal's opening on Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the speed at which Germany managed to build the project should serve as a model for a new, quicker Germany economy.."Many said it would be impossible to get it built this year. When we work together we can do things at great speed: that's Germany's new tempo," he said..The 90 kilotonne Hoegh Esperanza, a shipborne regasification terminal, will eventually supply enough gas for 50,000 households for a year. The construction of further floating liquid natural gas terminals will follow..Russia's invasion of Ukraine back in February left Germany searching for alternative sources of energy. The Kremlin slowly shut off gas exports to Western Europe after the region places aggressive sanctions on Russia..Cities across Germany feared there would be blackouts this winter due to an energy crunch. The city of Hanover crafted a plan to reduce energy consumption by cutting off public hot water in buildings, swimming pools, gyms and sports halls, while also ceasing the illumination of major buildings at night..READ MORE: German city of Hanover brings in strict energy-saving measures.Germany was able to alleviate its energy troubles by burning more coal. Despite a commitment to phase out its usage of coal by 2030, the country has resurrected or extended the lifespan of at least 20 coal-fired power plants..Back in August, Scholz visited Canada to request the country increase natural gas exports to Germany. But Trudeau said there was no strong business case for shopping natural gas from Canada's east coast to Europe..“We are looking right now, and companies are looking at whether or not the new context makes it a worthwhile business case to make those investments,” Trudeau said during a press conference..READ MORE: Trudeau rejects exporting Canadian natural gas to Europe .“But there needs to be a business case. It needs to make sense for Germany to be receiving LNG directly from the East Coast. Those are discussions that are ongoing right now between our ministers, between various companies to see if indeed it makes sense.”.Canada instead signed a deal with Germany to supply Canadian hydrogen energy in 2025. Canada currently produces almost no hydrogen that would fit the goals of the two countries' agreement, but both believe a new hydrogen trade corridor will be up and running "well before 2030.".During that press conference, Trudeau also said the energy crisis offered an opportunity for the world to transition to greener forms of energy.
