OPAL

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.