Construction of the North European gas pipeline: photo

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The construction of the North European Gas Pipeline was preceded by long and difficult negotiations between all participating countries, the B altic States, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia. Many economic, political and environmental issues had to be settled before the pipeline could be laid under the B altic Sea.

Reasons for starting construction

Several major European powers have shown interest in building a new gas pipeline that bypasses traditional gas export routes from Yamal and Eastern Siberia.

One of the main reasons for the construction of the North European gas pipeline was the desire of importing countries to reduce dependence on transit countries. Russia was also interested in increasing natural gas exports and improving stability during transit.

One of the prerequisites for the start of construction was the frequent conflicts between Russian gas companiesand Ukraine, which Gazprom has repeatedly accused of unauthorized extraction of gas from the pipeline and blackmail. The Ukrainian authorities regularly threatened to stop gas transit to Europe if the Russian side did not agree to lower prices.

Start of construction

Construction of the North European gas pipeline began in 2010. Russia, Germany, Holland, France took part in the preparation and implementation of a technically complex project. However, full implementation was not possible without consultations with other countries of the B altic region. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have made a number of attempts to delay the start of construction of the pipeline system.

The reason why some of the B altic countries hindered the process was because the logistics of the North European Gas Pipeline were changing the region's existing economic landscape.

Finland's position

In turn, Finland put forward extremely stringent environmental requirements for projects. Considering where the North European gas pipeline is located, a number of serious environmental reviews were required.

After completing all the necessary formalities, Finland gave its consent to the implementation of the project. One of the reasons why Finland agreed to build an environmentally hazardous gas pipeline is that natural gas has the lowest level of carbon dioxide emissions, which means that in the end the project becomes environmentally justified.

Main characteristics of the gas pipeline

From the beginning of its construction, the project assumed branches to the Kaliningrad region, Finland, Sweden, Holland and the UK. The total length of the gas pipeline is about 3,000 km, but the onshore part, located in Russia, does not exceed 897 km.

The main supplier of raw materials for the North European gas pipeline is the Yuzhno-Russkoye field, which is located in the eastern part of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Although the pipeline is part of a complex European gas transportation system, the main part of it, dubbed "Nord Stream", are two pipes running along the bottom of the B altic Sea. This is the most technical part of the system.

Speaking of where the North European Gas Pipeline is located, we can safely say that the starting point of the underwater route is located in Portovaya Bay in the Leningrad Region. A compressor station is located here, which pumps natural gas into the pipe.

Further, the pipe goes under water and is shown on land only in the German town of Greifswalde. It is noteworthy that the sea route does not pass through the territory of any state, as it is laid in neutral waters.

Unique infrastructure features

To implement such an ambitious project was not an easy task. For example, the Portovaya compressor station is considered a unique object of its kind in the global gas infrastructure. Its total capacity is 366 MW.

Thanks to this indicator, it is possible to achieve a pressure of 220 bar at the inlet. At the outlet in Germany, the pressure is already 106 bar, but still sufficient to transport raw materials for a hundred kilometers. Thus, thanks to a unique technical solution in Russia, it is possible to supply gas in a non-compressor mode throughout the entire route.

The North European Gas Pipeline, with 2 strings capable of transporting 55,000,000,000 cubic meters of gas per year, is the longest underwater gas pipeline on the planet.

Nord Stream onshore infrastructure

From a technical point of view, the North European gas pipeline is the underwater part of a large loop on the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline. Its beginning is located in the city of Gryazovets, Vologda region. It was from there that the pipeline to Vyborg was built in 2012. The length of this section of the North European Gas Pipeline was 917 km.

In order to connect Nord Stream with the European gas infrastructure, two new pipelines were built in Europe. OPAL was built in Germany, and the NEL gas pipeline made it possible to transport Russian gas to Northwestern Europe.

The full functioning of this project would be impossible without a strong resource base. In order to ensure uninterrupted filling of the pipe, two new deposits were developed. The first, Yuzhno-Russkoye, is located near the city of Urengoy. The second one is on the Yamal Peninsula, it is called Bovanenkovo.

Boththese fields were connected to the common Russian natural gas transportation system through the construction of a new branch "Bovanenkovo - Ukhta", the length of which was 1100 km.

Research before construction

Preparatory work for the construction of the underwater section began in 1997. Sophisticated scientific studies were carried out, thanks to which it became possible to determine the future route of the pipeline.

In 2000, the European Union decided to give this project the status of a Trans-European Network. At the same time, already at the initial stage, the cost of research work amounted to 100,000,000 €.

Five years later, work on the construction of the onshore parts of the North European Gas Pipeline began in Russia.

Environmental safety and technical difficulties

As soon as European politicians began to publicly discuss a possible transport project, environmentalists expressed significant concern. Apart from the fact that the B altic Sea region is extremely fragile from an ecological point of view, there are also unexpected difficulties, such as the consequences of the Second World War. As you know, sunken ships with ammunition, anti-ship mines, as well as burials of post-war explosives are found in large numbers at the bottom of the sea.

All these factors could negatively affect both the construction of the gas pipeline and its subsequent operation. In the event of an unexpected detonation of oldshells could leak gas into the sea, which would lead to a grand environmental disaster. Therefore, it took a lot of time for a comprehensive study of possible risks in order to prevent them.

The effects of pipeline construction on fish migration were studied separately. However, as a result, experts came to the conclusion that the gas pipeline will not have a long-term impact on the number and migration routes, and after the completion of construction, marine life will be able to return to their usual place.

Project expansion

Convinced of the safety and efficiency of the technology of laying pipes on the seabed at the Nord Stream project, the partners decided to increase the transport capacity of the project by laying the 3rd line of the North European Gas Pipeline, also known as Nord Stream 2.

There is nothing surprising in the fact that the project, affecting the interests of many countries in the region, caused a wide public and political discussion. Again, the B altic countries, as well as Poland, were the opponents of the project.

One of the main contractors of the project was the St. Petersburg company North European Gas Pipeline Logistics, which specializes in the construction and operation of gas pipelines in difficult conditions.

The new project went through the same approval stages as the first one. The interests of all interested countries of the region in the field of ecology were again taken into account. However, some innovative technologies have also been applied that contribute to greater operational safety.

The starting point of the newgas pipeline was chosen port of Ust-Luga on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. Simultaneously with the start of the construction of the pipeline, the construction of the B altic LNG began, for which a branch 360 km long was also built.

Pipe Laying Technology

The length of the new gas pipeline was 1200 km. Its construction required more than 200,000 pipes, each of which needed special treatment and protection from the aggressive environment of the B altic Sea.

Pipe-laying on the seabed is carried out by an automated platform, with a speed of about 3 km per day, that is, 1224 km can be laid in about 14 months. This technology involves the automatic laying of finished pipes on the bottom with their connection by high-precision welding. Shrink sleeves are pulled over the connected pipes.

However, before laying the structure on the bottom, it must be prepared. While still on land, each pipe is covered with a special anti-corrosion layer consisting of epoxy resins, polyethylene and a reinforced concrete jacket.

Criticism of the Nord Stream 2 project

While the first Nord Stream was criticized mainly because of the risk to the region's environment, the second part of the project is criticized for its futility in terms of economic benefits.

Although the planners claim that the gas pipeline will pay off in eight years, many economists criticize this position. Recently, there has been a downward trend in prices in the worldfor natural gas, as well as decreased consumption of this fuel. All this can lead to the fact that the payback period of the project can stretch up to 30 years or more.

However, this statement can be objected to by the fact that the payback period of Nord Stream-1 will be no more than 14 years. In addition, although investments in such projects are considered risky, they can also bring significant dividends if successful. And in the situation with the North European gas pipeline, the photo is in the article, the Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo took the risk.