Environment and safety
Environmental protection is an important part of the planning and realisation of major infrastructure measures. Hence, strict safety regulations will be observed and applied to the construction of the OPAL pipeline.
With demand for energy increasing worldwide, it is important to try and meet this demand in an environmentally friendly manner as far as is possible. The combustion of natural gas releases less CO2 than other fossil fuels, but it also has to prove its environmental compatibility long before it reaches the customer.
The effects of the OPAL on its natural surroundings are examined very closely even in the planning stage: the regional planning procedure and the planning approval process include environmental impact assessments. These are a key factor in the decision-making and approval process for the project. The building contractor discusses ecological aspects that have to be considered in the route planning in close consultation with nature protection associations and agencies. This can mean, for example, that the route deviates from the planned coordinates in order to avoid a crane nesting place in southern Brandenburg or to cross the river Peene near Stolpe in an environmentally sound tunnel.
In harmony with nature
The workers are by no means finished when the work on the dedicated track has been completed: new trees are planted and the earth is loosened again after having being compressed by construction vehicles. For example, planting measures will be carried out in other places to make up for the fact that narrow tracks in the woods left behind by the pipeline could not be entirely restored to their previous status and reforested for safety reasons. In Mecklenburg Western Pomerania, the wetland restoration of a lowland moor of about 260 hectares is planned for the so-called “Martenscher Bruch”, a large moored valley on the Polish border. The entire compensatory measure for Mecklenburg Western Pomerania will be carried out in full here.
Safety comes first
In order to make sure there is no danger for people or the environment along the pipeline, strict safety regulations are adhered to. The engineers check the pipeline several times before it goes into operation to ensure it complies with all the rules and regulations, especially regarding the quality of the material and the welding seams, using pressure and permeability tests. Thereafter, the pipeline is monitored round the clock.
