Important grid connection to be built in Lubminer Heide – construction planned from the start of 2018
Rostock / Kassel. Important step toward reinforcing supply security in Germany and Europe: The Kassel-based transmission system operator GASCADE today submitted planning approval documents to the state authorities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In the documents, GASCADE is applying to build the new Lubmin 2 natural gas receiving station, part of the European Gas Pipeline Link (EUGAL), and a network connection to the Northern European gas pipeline (NEL).
“The gas receiving station is the necessary link for being able to bring the gas arriving via the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to the European mainland,” explains Chief Project Manager Ludger Hümbs. The station, which forms the starting point of the EUGAL, is to be built in the Lubminer Heide industrial and business park from the start of 2018.
The new pipeline and receiving station will not only secure the supply for Europe with additional transport capacities, says Hümbs. “Rather, in coordination with the NEL and other existing pipelines, the pipeline will make the German and European natural gas system more flexible and robust.” EUGAL will extend over a total length of some 485 kilometers, running from the Baltic Sea through Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg to southern Saxony and from there over the border to the Czech Republic. The pipeline route of the EUGAL will be approved in an independent planning approval process due to begin during the course of this year. Natural gas will start flowing through the first string of EUGAL at the end of 2019.
The people along the possible route have already been given an initial overview of the entire project: Last year, the GASCADE project team presented the plans for the gas pipeline to a wide audience in three local communities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. “The development of infrastructure is a community task. Entering into dialog with local residents provides an opportunity to involve the public and gain important information for the planning process,” said Chief Project Manager Hümbs.
With the construction of the landing terminal and pipeline, GASCADE is responding to the growing demand for gas and gas transport capacity in Europe. Forecasts from the European network development plan see an import gap of up to 183 billion cubic meters annually by 2035. At the same time, the Europe-wide market survey more capacity shows that the long-term transport requirements between Germany and its neighbors are in some cases well above the available technical capacities.
GASCADE provides the latest information about the project on the Internet site www.eugal.de.
