News
Mar 4, 2009
Start of the planning approval process for the OPAL natural gas pipeline in Brandenburg
The European natural gas infrastructure project, the OPAL (Ostsee-Pipeline-Anbindungs-Leitung – Baltic Sea pipeline link), is making further progress: the planning approval process for the natural gas pipeline in Brandenburg will start in the next few days
Ministry for infrastructure concludes regional planning in Brandenburg
Potsdam / Kassel. The European natural gas infrastructure project, the OPAL (Ostsee-Pipeline-Anbindungs-Leitung – Baltic Sea pipeline link), is making further progress: the planning approval process for the natural gas pipeline in Brandenburg will start in the next few days following the positive conclusion of the regional planning procedure for the 126-km route of the OPAL in the southern part of the state by the Branden¬burg State Ministry for Infrastructure and Regional Planning at the end of February. “The planning documents will be exhibited in the communities along the route for the purposes of public participation in March for the North Brandenburg section and in April for the South Brandenburg section”, Ingo Neubert, Managing Director of OPAL NEL TRANSPORT GmbH, announced. The company will be the network operator of the OPAL. The natural gas pipeline is being built to connect the Nord Stream Baltic Sea pipeline to the European natural gas network. The OPAL will run 470 kilometers from Lubmin near Greifswald through Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg and Saxony to the German-Czech border.
The regional planning decision that has been announced is the decision-making basis for the subsequent planning approval process, which ends with the planning approval decision – the actual permission to build. “The results of the regional planning procedure show that the main corridor submitted for examination and the compressor station site at Radeland are compatible with regional planning requirements assuming implementation of the stipulations specified”, the Ministry said explaining its decision. The agency had suspended the regional planning procedure temporarily in order to examine various alternative locations for the compressor station – but now it has ruled that the station should be built in Radeland in the Baruth/Mark area (Teltow-Fläming district). The project was subjected to an environmental impact assessment as well as a spatial impact assessment as part of the regional planning procedure.
The OPAL pipeline will run 273 kilometers through Brandenburg where it will cross through the districts Uckermark, Barnim, Märkisch-Oderland, Oder-Spree Dahme-Spree, Teltow-Fläming, Elbe-Elster and Oberspreewald-Lausitz. The Brandenburg State Office for Mining, Geology and Raw Materials will conduct the planning approval process, which is expected to be completed towards the end of this year. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony the planning approval processes are already expected to be completed within the next few months.
OPAL NEL TRANSPORT GmbH will perform the tasks of network operator for the OPAL and the NEL. It is part of the WINGAS Group, which, in addition to natural gas supplier WINGAS, includes WINGAS TRANSPORT. WINGAS TRANSPORT operates a gas pipeline network which is more than 2,000 km long and covers the whole of Germany. It is planned that the two new pipelines of OPAL NEL TRANSPORT will be connected to the WINGAS TRANSPORT gas pipeline network.
all news
