News
Jun 8, 2009
Building the future: construction of the OPAL gas pipeline gives Freiberg students practical insight
Education cooperation agreed between mining academy and WINGAS Group / Saxony's Finance Minister praises the cooperation / construction work due to start
The cooperation was symbolically sealed with the mark of an original OPAL pipe.
Freiberg, 8 June 2009. The OPAL (Ostsee-Pipeline-Anbindungs-Leitung - Baltic Sea pipeline link), which covers a distance of around 470 kilometers and involves investments of one billion euros, is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe. Now, thanks to the cooperation agreement signed between the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg as well as WINGAS and OPAL NEL TRANSPORT GmbH, which belongs to the WINGAS Group, students from the university will also benefit from the construction of the pipeline, which will run just a few kilometers away from Freiberg towards the Czech Republic. "The project dimensions and the construction & engineering challenges represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for budding young engineers to broaden their theoretical knowledge with professionally relevant practical experience", Professor Bernd Meyer, Rector of the prestigious university. The cooperation between TU Freiberg and the companies was symbolically sealed with the mark of an original OPAL pipe which has found a home at the university campus.
"This cooperation gives the Freiberg students an insight into the activities of a sector of the economy that is dependent on well-trained young people and which offers skilled jobs in the widest fields", Professor Georg Unland, Finance Minister of Saxony, said in praise of the cooperation between the mining academy and the companies. "The education cooperation shows that for us the OPAL is not only about 'building the future' because of its significance for the energy sector, WINGAS Managing Director Dr. Gerhard König said at the signing of the agreement. "We also hope to keep the students' interested in working in our sector." The company already employs some graduates from the university. "So far the experiences we have made with former students of the academy have been very positive, so we wish to continue profiting from graduates 'Made in Freiberg'" Dr. König explained.
As part of the cooperation WINGAS and OPAL NEL TRANSPORT will be sponsoring diploma theses, providing engineering internships and enabling the students of the academy to explore various phases and building sections of the OPAL.
200 million euros for construction in Saxony alone
The OPAL has a capacity of 36 billion cubic meters of natural gas and will link Germany and Europe to the major natural gas reserves in Siberia via the Nord Stream Baltic Sea pipeline. The planned route will go from Lubmin on the Baltic Sea coast, where the Nord Stream comes online, to the Czech Republic crossing through the federal states Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg and Saxony. "A quarter of the entire imports of Russian natural gas is transported through East Germany to the European markets", the WINGAS Chairman explained. "This means today the region is already one of the most important hubs for the transport of natural gas in Europe - and indispensable for the European natural gas supply." It will become even more important when Nord Stream and the OPAL come on stream, Dr König said. Investments of about 200 million euros are earmarked for the 100-km-long section of the pipeline in Saxon alone. The specialist firms selected to build the pipeline in turn commission various regional companies to carry out various jobs and services. "The OPAL natural gas pipeline will boost the natural gas supply in Europe. And I am pleased if the regional economy of Saxony also profits from this investment", the Finance Minister of Saxony explained.
The construction work for the pipeline is supposed to start this summer. "The planning approval process, which concludes with the actual planning permit, will be completed shortly. In Saxony and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania we are expecting the approval in the next few weeks," Dr. König affirmed. The WINGAS Managing Director is also optimistic about the decision by the EU Commission on the application for exemption from regulation for the OPAL. "With the positive ruling on our application to exempt the OPAL from the tight corset of regulation, the Federal Network Agency has helped to create reliable and stable conditions for implementing the OPAL. I am confident that the EU Commission will agree with the argumentation of the Federal Network Agency and confirm the decision by the German agency." The decision by the Commission is expected to be announced this month.
Note to the editing teams:
Current photos are available on the Internet site of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg in the section Press Office/Press Photos or on the WINGAS homepage under Press/Press Photos.
The TU Bergakademie Freiberg has always remained loyal to its concept since its founding in 1765. Its academics, teaching and research reflect a practical orientation responding to the demands of industry. With its four core themes - Geosciences, Materials, Energy and Environment - it has a very distinct profile addressing the specific issues of our modern industrial nation. Thus, it guarantees a high-level education in the fields of Science, Engineering and Economics. TU Bergakademie Freiberg's 4,850 students certify its top position in the nation-wide rankings again and again due to its outstanding conditions for studies and intense mentoring. The university is known for its research areas, although cooperation with industry and other research institutes as well as interdisciplinary cooperation among the university institutes also play an important role.
More information at: www.tu-freiberg.de
European energy provider WINGAS GmbH & Co. KG is active in natural gas trading and distribution in Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Austria, the Czech Republic and Denmark. Its customers include municipal utilities, regional gas suppliers, industrial firms and power plants. Since 1990 WINGAS has invested more than 3 billion Euros in the development of a natural gas transport and storage infrastructure. WINGAS TRANSPORT pipeline network, which is over 2,000 kilometers long, connects the major gas reserves in Siberia and in the North Sea to the growing markets in Western Europe. In Rehden in North Germany, WINGAS has the largest natural gas storage facility in Western Europe - with a working gas volume of over four billion cubic meters, and the company also participates in Central Europe's second largest storage facility in Haidach, Austria. Additional natural gas storage facilities are currently being built in Great Britain and Germany in order to secure the supply of natural gas in Europe
More information at: www.wingas.de
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.
More information at: www.opal-nel-transport.de
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