Potsdam / Cottbus / Kassel. The section of EUGAL (European Gas Pipeline Link) that runs through Brandenburg was granted planning permission on 17 August 2018 in the form of the planning approval decision. The responsible authority, the Brandenburg State Office for Mining, Geology and Raw Materials (LBGR) based in Cottbus, handed over the decision to the company in charge of the project, GASCADE Gastransport GmbH.
The decisive legal prerequisite for implementing the EUGAL infrastructure project in Brandenburg has thus been met. The planning approval decision is the approval for the construction and describes the final route for the around 272 km-long EUGAL section through Brandenburg. GASCADE now plans to start the construction work.
“Natural gas is the second most important fuel after mineral oil for energy supply in Germany and Europe. Despite the expansion of renewable energies, the secure and affordable supply of natural gas will remain indispensable for the foreseeable future – whether for supplying buildings with fuel for heating, providing process heat in industry, or for secure and reliable power generation. I am therefore pleased that we now have the approval for construction and operation of the EUGAL natural gas pipeline in Brandenburg,” said Brandenburg’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy Albrecht Gerber today at the handover of the planning approval decision.
“We are delighted that we were able to receive the planning approval decision within this short processing time. It is a key milestone in the project, and the path is now free to start construction,” explains GASCADE Managing Director Dr. Christoph von dem Bussche.
Brandenburg’s Minister of Economics Albrecht Gerber (center) handing over the approval to build EUGAL in Brandenburg to GASCADE’s Managing Director Christoph von dem Bussche during a press event. Left: Hans-Georg Thiem, President of Brandenburg’s State Office for Mining, Geology and Raw Materials.
Preparations for the construction are already under way, and construction should commence in the coming weeks. Construction work will take place in parallel at several locations, starting with removal of the topsoil. Construction of the pipeline, which comprises two strings, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2020.
EUGAL is a 480-kilometer-long gas pipeline extending from the Baltic Sea to the Czech Republic. The longest section runs through Brandenburg, from Schönfeld (Uckermark district) in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to Großthiemig (Elbe-Elster district) and on to Saxony. In addition, the Brandenburg section of EUGAL is to be linked to other major high-pressure gas pipelines. Network coupling points are planned in Kienbaum (Grünheide district) and Radeland (City of Baruth/Mark). A compressor station will also be set up in Radeland. With the construction of the EUGAL pipeline, GASCADE is responding to the growing demand for gas and gas transport capacity in Europe.
