(Bloomberg) -- Germany’s top administrative judges gave another boost to government measures fast-tracking the construction of installations to secure energy supply after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig on Thursday threw out the first of a couple of lawsuits brought by two men over a LNG terminal and a floating unit in Brunsbüttel, in the Northern part of Germany. Their property was provisionally seized to allow construction of pipelines to connect the terminal with the gas network.

Germany’s highest administrative tribunal, which has exclusive and final jurisdiction over challenges against the LNG law, has now reviewed a series of key legal issues concerning the controversial legislation, Court President Andreas Korbmacher told the parties earlier at a hearing on Thursday morning. 

The judges had already rejected two preliminary complaints filed by the same plaintiffs among other cases.

“We have reached fairly firm ground,” Korbmacher said. “We have issued several rulings which tackled a spectrum of legal issues.”

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Germany fast-tracked the construction of LNG terminals last year to avoid a gas shortage after Russia curtailed shipments to the continent — in a law which cuts short environmental scrutiny of energy infrastructure projects. So far, three floating storage and regasification units in Wilhelmshaven, Brunsbüttel and Lubmin have started operations, with three more expected to go online this winter.

Jens-Ulrich Kanniess, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said he will review any options his clients have to attack Thursday’s judgment. 

The two men’s other case, which aims to topple the underlying construction permit for the terminals, will be heard in March. They lost a preliminary bid to halt the construction while that action is pending.   

There are several case pending over various LNG terminal constructions in Germany. So far the court hasn’t stopped any of these.

Thursday’s case is: BVerwG, 7 A 2.23.

--With assistance from Petra Sorge.

(Updates with plaintiff lawyer statement in sixth paragraph.)

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