Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - North Rhine-Westphalia's Europe Minister Nathanael Liminski is pushing for the construction of another gas pipeline to neighboring Belgium. According to a statement by the NRW State Chancellery, the CDU politician acknowledged Belgium's major contribution to secure gas supplies to NRW on Tuesday. A new pipeline 48 kilometers long would have to be built to permanently increase delivery capacity to 34 million cubic meters per year.
At the beginning of 2021, the Zeelink pipeline between the border with Belgium and the gas storage facilities in Westmünsterland near Legden went into operation. It connects NRW with the Belgian liquid gas terminal in the port city of Zeebrugge. The infrastructure is designed for deliveries of 22 million cubic meters per year. In fact, according to the announcement, Belgium is temporarily supplying well over 30 million cubic meters.
A prerequisite for an expansion is therefore a binding commitment from the federal government to also purchase the gas volume. He wants to do this together with Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) and Economics Minister Mona Neubaur (Greens), said Liminski in a conversation with Belgium's Ambassador Geert Muylle.
When it comes to gas supply, the overlaps and the need for close cooperation are particularly great. "We have a great interest in expanding the already established energy partnership with the Flanders region to the whole of Belgium and in establishing additional cooperation in the field of liquid gas in the short term," said the North Rhine-Westphalia Minister for Europe, according to the announcement.
