Line 1 Joined to European Pipeline Grid
1. September 2011
The direct link between the major Russian reserves in Siberia and the European natural gas market is in place: The first line of the Nord Stream Pipeline is now connected to the OPAL natural gas pipeline (Ostsee-Pipeline-Anbindungs-Leitung – Baltic Sea Pipeline Link). This golden weld was completed on August 25.
"The system is now ready for the next complex steps of bringing the pipeline on stream, which means we will be able to commission the first of the Nord Stream twin pipelines in the fourth quarter of 2011 as planned," Dr. Georg Nowack, Nord Stream project manager for Germany, explained.
"The connecting pipeline OPAL, which will pick up the natural gas from Nord Stream and transport it onward, is complete," said Bernd Vogel, Managing Director of OPAL NEL TRANSPORT GmbH, a company of the WINGAS Group which will operate the connecting pipeline. "We are prepared. The Russian natural gas can come."
The last welding seam connecting Line 1 of the Nord Stream Pipeline and the OPAL pipeline was completed on the grounds of the natural gas transfer station in Lubmin near Greifswald, where the Nord Stream Pipeline reaches the German coast.
Connected to OPAL
Over 200 staff from regional and national companies are currently working on the 12-hectare piece of land near the Lubmin port preparing the transfer station for subsequent operations. Together the participating companies are investing around 100 million euros in Lubmin alone.
In addition to OAO Gazprom, BASF subsidiary Wintershall Holding GmbH, E.ON Ruhrgas AG, Dutch company N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie and GDF SUEZ from France, all hold a stake in Nord Stream. The WINGAS Group has an 80 percent share and E.ON Ruhrgas AG a 20 percent share in the connecting pipeline OPAL.
The OPAL natural gas pipeline was already completed more than a month ago. The pipeline has now been filled with gas and is ready to transport the Nord Stream gas onwards to the Czech Republic. "Line 1 has already been pressure tested, drained and dried, and since August 22 completely filled with nitrogen, which serves as a safety buffer between air and gas," Nord Stream project manager Nowack explains.
The next step is to gradually fill the pipeline with gas from Russia, and then Line 1 of the Nord Stream Pipeline system will be ready for operation.
Final Weld in Russia
On August 19, Line 1 of the Nord Stream Pipeline system was connected to the Russian dry part and landfall facilities located 1.5 km from the shoreline at Portovaya Bay in Russia. Two months previously, installation of PIG (pipeline inspection gauge) traps and isolation and emergency shut-down valves was completed on the Russian shore. Additionally, gas-in equipment required for the commissioning stage was installed in July. Currently, the assembly of telemetry and automation systems is in its final stage. During the operational phase, gas pressure at the start of the pipelines will be as high as 220 bar.
To guarantee that the pipeline can withstand such operational pressure, the two pipelines of the dry part on the Russian shore (of the landfall) were pressure tested to confirm their integrity and safety.
The pipelines were filled with water and pressurised beyond the planned maximum operating pressure by 25 percent for 24 hours. Pressure tests were successfully completed in June. "A large-scale and interesting job has thus been completed," said Nord Stream's Technical Director Sergey Serdyukov. Gas is expected to flow through Line 1 of the Nord Stream Pipeline System in the last quarter of this year. Line 1 will have the capacity to transport 27.5 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas a year to Europe. The second of the pipelines is scheduled to become operational in late 2012, thereby doubling the transport capacity to 55 bcm.
