For Europe
Working together for fair competition
Strengthening the European gas pipeline network to secure supplies of natural gas in future, too.
Up to 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas will flow through the Nord Stream Baltic Sea pipeline to Germany every year following completion of the planned pipeline. The project has been classified by the European Union as a priority project within the Trans-European Networks (TEN). It will promote a sustainable and secure energy supply in Europe. An important part of this infrastructure measure is linking it up to the rest of the European gas network via the OPAL and NEL pipelines, (NEL: Norddeutsche Erdgas-Leitung – Northern German gas link). They will transport the gas to where it is needed: to the customers in Germany and Europe. The OPAL will transport the gas to the south and the NEL will branch off to the West.
Meeting demand
Europe is one of the biggest consumers of natural gas in the world. But gas reserves within Europe will dwindle in the future, so consumers will be even more dependent on imports. Energy suppliers in the Netherlands, the UK and Denmark have already expressed their interest in purchasing natural gas from the Baltic sea pipeline and its gas links, the OPAL and the NEL. In future almost a third of the anticipated additional demand for imports in Europe could be covered by deliveries via Nord Stream, the OPAL and the NEL.
