Clarity regarding key issues for the contractual agreements with farmers
Kassel. Following the Farmers’ Association in Saxony, the professional representative for the farmers in the German state of Brandenburg has now also signed the framework agreement. As a result, the farmers in Brandenburg whose areas will be used for the European gas pipeline link EUGAL now have clarity regarding contractual regulations, such as information pertaining to indemnification payments. The contracts will be concluded in the coming months between the farmers and GASCADE, the company in charge of the EUGAL project. A good 60 percent of the areas used for EUGAL are employed for agricultural purposes.
“We learned a lot from the construction of OPAL and were able to apply this knowledge at an early stage. This is definitely a reason why the conversations with the associations were very constructive and why we were able to quickly reach a successful conclusion,” says Ludger Hümbs, Chief EUGAL Project Manager.
The framework agreements serve as a reference for the individual contracts that will now be concluded with the owners and farmers. Essentially, GASCADE will throughout the entire project – from the planning phase to the construction period to the final acceptance – basically keep the lines of communication open for owners and farmers, thus functioning as a contact.
First of all it was agreed that the soil and agricultural experts will accompany the construction phase. The soil protection experts will monitor soil conditions prior to utilization, during the laying of the pipeline and the recultivation and subsequently inform the responsible State Farmers’ Association as well as the agricultural office at any time upon request.
“The construction of OPAL taught us that drainages are especially important. Therefore, GASCADE will already present a drainage concept before construction begins,” explains Hümbs. This will also include the ascertainment of the receiving water conditions in coordination with the water and soil associations. The concept will then contain the stipulated configuration of the drainages, which should be coordinated and bindingly agreed upon with the land owners and authorized users.
The areas can once again be used for agricultural purposes once construction has been completed. After construction, EUGAL will run through Brandenburg with two strings in the middle of a twenty-two-meter-wide protective strip. An eight-meter-wide central strip must continue to be visible, and be suitable for pedestrians and traffic.
GASCADE provides the latest information about the project on the Internet site www.eugal.de.
