Ultra-large Projects

The pipeline industry has created a new class of pipeline project: the ultra-large project class. These projects are significantly more complex in terms of capabilities in technology, logistics, delivery reliability and deadlines compared to standard projects.

Selected Projects

Nord Stream 1, String 1 and 2

Offshore
Steel grade: SAWL 485 IFD
Shipping quantity: 1,870 km | 1,575,000 t

Gas from the Russian natural gas field Yuzhno-Russkoye – and in future also from the gas fields of the Jamal peninsula and Shtokmanovskoye – is to be supplied to the Western European grid. To this end an offshore pipeline with two lines is planned from Vyborg in Russia to the German Baltic Sea coast near Greifswald. From here the gas will be routed to the German grid and to the Netherlands, Denmark, France, England and other countries.

EUROPIPE produced and delivered approx. 990 km (860,000 tonnes) of pipe for the first line to Nord Stream. Also for the second line EUROPIPE is the main pipe supplier and will manufacture approx. 850 km (714,000 tonnes) large-diameter pipe.

All pipes get an inside lining with epoxy and an outside coating with polyethylene by our subsidiary MÜLHEIM PIPECOATINGS. Here are some data on the project: Total length twice 1,220 km, max. water depth 210 m, starting pressure 220 bar, basic specifications DNV OS-F 101, steel grade SAWL 485 IF, 48" in diameter (1220 mm), thicknesses of 26.8 to 41 mm.

NEL Pipeline

Onshore
Steel grade: L485 MB
Shipping quantity: 113,000 tonnes

 

The Nordeuropäische Erdgasleitung / Northern European Natural Gas Line(NEL) is the last piece in the new natural gas transmission corridor from Russia to Europe. The core of this corridor is the Nord Stream offshore pipeline, starting in Vyborg, Russia, traversing the Baltic Sea and ending in Greifswald, Germany. On the German side, the Nord Stream Pipeline feeds the OPAL (Ostsee-Pipeline-Anbindungs-Leitung / Baltic Sea Pipeline Link) and NEL Pipelines. 

The whole system, which starts in Vyborg, Russia, has a total pipe length of 3,350 km, of which EUROPIPE is delivering nearly 2,800 km or 84 %. We are proud to have been chosen as the leading large-diameter pipe supplier in this very demanding project.

The OPAL Pipeline runs from Greifswald into southern Germany and the NEL Pipeline from Greifswald into north-western Germany, ending in Rehden. Here the gas is either stored or fed into the existing gas transmission pipeline system.

The NEL Pipeline has a length of 440 km and was an order by Wingas with a 75 % share (330 km) and E.ON Ruhrgas with a share of 25 % (110 km). The shareholders are, next to E.ON Ruhrgas and Wingas, the Dutch gas pipeline infrastructure operator Gasunie. In addition Fluxys, the Belgian energy infrastructure provider, will acquire a 19 % share in the pipeline. The total investment for the NEL project is approximately EUR 1 billion. 

The pipeline will have a capacity of more than 20 billion cubic metres per year and an operating pressure of 100 bars. It will be constructed between 2011 and 2012. The outside diameter of the 18 m long L485MB pipes is 56" (1,422 mm) with a wall thickness of 22.3 mm. EUROPIPE has produced 113,000 tonnes of large-diameter pipes for this project in 2010 out of a total of 350,000 tonnes.

OPAL

Onshore
Steel grade: L485 MB
Shipping quantity: 37,000 tonnes

 

The OPAL pipeline (Ostsee-Pipeline-Anbindungs-Leitung – Baltic Sea Pipeline Link) will be built by a joint-venture of WINGAS GmbH & Co. KG and E.ON Ruhrgas AG. With a total investment volume of around EUR 1 billion, it is one of the largest pipeline projects ever to be undertaken in Germany.

It will connect the European gas grid to the major natural gas reserves in Siberia via the Nord Stream Pipeline, to which it is to be linked up in Lubmin near Greifswald and transport the gas 470 kilometres south to Olbernhau on the Czech border.

More than 35 billion cubic metres of natural gas will flow through the OPAL every year, which equals about a third of Germany’s overall natural gas requirements. EUROPIPE is the sole large-diameter pipe supplier. We have produced 380,000 tonnes of pipes with a diameter of 56" (1,422 mm) and a wall thickness of 22.3 mm for the OPAL.

The logistics for this project were very demanding, as the pipeline will be built in 14 sections, with 55 pipe storage depots in total. Each pipe weights nearly 15 tonnes, which is why only one pipe per truck can be transported. This means EUROPIPE had to organise not only the railway transport, but also nearly 27,000 truck trips from the respective railway stations to the storage depots.