24 Feb 2023
Essen
Open Grid Europe, GmbH
Press release
NETG completes final weld on its gas transmission pipeline from Voigtslach to Paffrath
- Technical completion of the NETG pipeline
- Milestone for L-gas to H-gas conversion in the Cologne area
This week saw the successful completion of the final weld on NETG’s Voigtslach-to-Paffrath gas transmission pipeline in Paffrath near Leverkusen. Following acceptance by TÜV as the supervisory authority, the pipeline has now achieved technical completion and operational readiness as part of Germany’s high-pressure gas transmission system. The pipeline is a prerequisite for the timely conversion of millions of residential, commercial and industrial customers in the Cologne area from L-gas to H-gas.
Project manager John-Volkmar Abert on the completion of the work: "The timely completion of the NETG pipeline from Voigtslach to Paffrath allows the L/H-gas conversion in the region to go ahead as planned, and it is also an important building block for the security of supply with natural gas. We are delighted that we have achieved this goal together with our project partner in what was an extremely challenging urban environment."
Final weld of the NETG
Technical completion of the pipeline will now be followed by surface restoration work, which will include the recultivation of the right of way, final clean-up of the construction sites and the removal of access roads and pipe storage sites. This work will be completed in several stages by the end of summer 2023.
The 23.6 km gas pipeline connects the Voigtslach valve station in Leverkusen Hitdorf with the Paffrath station in the municipality of Bergisch Gladbach. A total of 1,364 pipes, each 17.3 m long with a total weight of around 6,550 t were laid for this purpose. A total of 2,050 welds were made.
Further information on the gas transmission pipeline can be found at www.netg-voigtslach-paffrath.de. The construction work was carried out on the basis of the planning approval decision of the district government of Cologne from 2013, which was last confirmed by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig in January 2020.