Questions & answers
The environment
How environmental protection affects the planning and construction of the OPAL.
How are the negative environmental effects of pipeline construction averted?
Ecological aspects are taken into consideration in the planning, construction and operation of the pipeline. All the national laws on environmental protection and safety as well as the company’s own high recognized standards will be upheld.
Long-distance pipelines do not take the shortest route possible. Rather, they follow the route which best meets the requirements of the population and the environment – and they also take into account all the statutory requirements and land use planning.
The route that is decided on is also the result of a dialogue between the authorities and the building contractors. After the initial detailed planning has been carried out, discussions are held with the land owners and the required rights of way are obtained. The plans also take into account the landscape conditions. For example, the working strip in a forest is narrower than in open spaces. Once the pipeline construction has been completed, the only remaining signs of the pipeline are the yellow markings along the route. The land can be used again for farming or re-integrated into the countryside. Trees may also be planted again at a distance of 2.5 meters from the outer edge of the pipeline. The gas pipeline is covered by at least a meter of earth, so it is safe from external influences. Interference in the natural surroundings and the landscape is kept to an absolute minimum for the sake of environmental protection. The construction work is accompanied from beginning to end, from the preparation of the construction work to the restoration and recultivation of the working strip, by ecological monitoring. This makes sure that the construction solutions applied during the practical implementation of the project are compatible with the landscape and environment.
Both companies can draw on decades of experience and competence in the construction of long-distance pipelines and work in partnership with the farmers’ associations concerned.
Long-distance gas pipelines transport large quantities of energy safely, quickly and cost-effectively. They are also an extremely environmentally sound way of transporting energy. Strict requirements for the construction of pipelines ensure the maximum possible protection of the countryside and keep interference with the natural surroundings to an absolute minimum. Strict safety requirements for the operation and for the materials used as well as regular, thorough checks with cutting-edge technology during operations ensure the high safety standards of this method of transport.
It is impossible to lay a pipeline without intervening in the landscape. However, after some time there are virtually no signs of this. How is that possible?
After the pipeline has been laid, the agricultural land is recultivated. The soil is loosened with the help of cutting-edge technology. In some areas we plant oil radish as well. The deep roots loosen and aerate the soil.
Will the increasing significance of recultivation continue?
One can assume so. The aim is to hand the areas used back to the owners or farmers in exactly the same condition they were in when taken over by the companies. Many of the building contractors’ measures even go beyond the legal requirements.
What recultivation measures does WINGAS, as the contractor, take?
The contractor makes sure that the construction companies chosen to carry out the job have the required competency. Furthermore, the company’s own agricultural engineers assist the construction companies and supervisors with the individual recultivation concepts.
How do pipelines cross through waters?
The decision on the best way of crossing waters depends first and foremost on the geological characteristics of the area nearby. The underlying geotechnical conditions, as well as the riparian landscapes, determine how the pipeline will be installed in and around waters. Possible methods are open installation procedures (feeding an underwater pipeline into an excavated pipeline trench) as well as trench-free installation procedures, although they make it necessary to set up larger start and destination trenches, especially in the grasslands near the banks. At each crossing point over flowing waters a crossing structure suitable for the individual location is erected.
The waters and the bank areas of all these areas are restored to their natural condition afterwards. This way, just one year after the gas pipeline has been installed under the river bed there is virtually nothing left to see. When after a few years the shrubs and woods on the banks of the river have grown back, all that remains to be seen of the pipeline under water are the yellow marking posts.
Do the building contractors know which areas still have munitions from the Second World War? How are the dangers associated with these munitions averted?
The known areas, which are also indicated on maps, are not touched by the gas pipelines if at all possible. The potentially dangerous areas along the route are also thoroughly checked before construction begins. The layers of earth affected by the ground work in these areas are checked for munitions beforehand. Any munitions found are removed by authorized institutions or firms.
How are ground monuments dealt with during the pipeline construction?
The companies draw on archaeological expertise as early as the route planning stage. Since the entire process is accompanied by experts from the planning stage right through to the construction itself, ground monuments can either be bypassed or, when this isn’t possible, appraised by experts, documented and then taken for safe keeping and displayed in a museum or other public place.
